Celestial Fate
by thatfairytailgirl
Summary: Lucy is requested for a job because of an unknown key. Soul Society has sent a group to find and protect these keys. What will happen when these two groups meet? How will they react when the keys answer Lucy? Why is a group lurking in the shadows and what do they want with Lucy?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfiction. I know there will be grammar problems and I'm sorry for it. This is set after the GMG's and will be in Lucy's POV unless I put it otherwise. All characters belong to Hiro Mashima and Tite Kubo. Hope you enjoy:)!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

It was a warm, sunny day as I made my way to the guild, humming a tune.

"Hello Minna," I said as I opened the doors. I received various greetings as I walked to the bar and sat in my usual seat. Mira came and slid a strawberry milkshake in front of me.

"Thanks Mira," I said, smiling at the barmaid.

Mira smiled back before her face turned into a concerned look. "Lucy, how have you been? I haven't seen you for a few days." I continued to smile at the barmaid who is always looking out for me.

"I'm fine, Mira. I had a lot of money saved up so I took some time off and finished writing my book. Have you seen Levy-chan anywhere?"

"I saw her sitting with Gajeel in his corner. If you're going over there can you take this plate of iron to him please?" She asked.

"Sure." I hopped off my stool and with my book under my arm, my milkshake in one hand and the plate of iron in the other, I made my way to Levy and Gajeel.

"Hey guys." I said as I sat down and slid the plate to Gajeel. He nodded at me and Levy looked up from her book.

"Hey Lu-chan, have you finished your book yet?" When I nodded, Levy let out a high pitch squeal that caused Gajeel to cover his ears.

"Calm down Shrimp. Hearing, remember?" He said annoyed and uncovered his ears. Levy ignored him and grabbed the book out of my hands. She flip to the first page and started reading. I giggled at her antics and waved at Gajeel before I walked back to the bar.

"Hey Mira, have you seen Natsu, Gray or Erza yet?" I asked.

"Not yet, but none of them come before noon anyway." We both giggled at how my teammates weren't morning people. I had just got my laughing under control when the Master called me up to his office. I looked up at him and he made a 'follow me' gesture. I slowly got off my stool and made my way upstairs. _"Did I do something? The Master never calls me into his office_ , I thought. When I made it to the Master's office, I knocked on the door and opened it when I heard a muffled _"come in"_ and saw Master and Laxus sitting at their desks.

"Ah, Lucy. Please close the door and sit down." The Master said. I closed the door and nervously sat in the chair in front of his desk.

"Master, if this is something Natsu did-" I began but he held his hand up and stopped me from talking.

"No Lucy, this has nothing to do with Natsu. This is actually about you." I swallowed, my heart started beating faster and I knew Laxus could hear it by the way he was looking at me.

"Relax Blondie. You're not in trouble." I glared at him and muttered, "You're blonde too." This caused him to chuckle, and something about his words and laugh calmed me down a little. I looked up at Master who was watching us with a surprised face before he became serious again.

"Laxus is right Lucy. You're not in trouble, but you have been requested for a job." I blinked in surprise. I never get requested for jobs.

"What kind of job is it, Master?" I asked. He picked up a sheet of paper on his desk and handed it to me. I took it and read:

 **Help!**

 **Unknown key discovered and people being murdered**

 **Possibly by an unknown group that's lurking around**

 **Location: Foss**

 **Reward: 200,000 jewels and unknown key**

 **Requested that Lucy Heartfilia come**

I sat there shocked. First the request asks for me and second was that their was an unknown key. _I didn't know there was any other types of keys out there,_ I thought.

"Lucy, child, what is your decision?" Master asked, looking at me. I looked down at the paper in my hand and then back at Master.

"I'll try to help them, but I don't know anything about other keys besides the Gold and Silver keys. What if I'm not able to help them?" I looked down feeling tears well up in my eyes. I know I'm not strong enough to provide the kind of help these people need. I'm not even strong enough to go on a simple solo mission without it going downhill.

"Lucy," Master started. I looked up at him to see a kind, gentle, yet determined expression on his face. "You are strong enough to do this. Even if you don't believe it now, I know you are capable of many incredible things and if you ever find yourself lost or in trouble, you have all of Fairy Tail backing you up and supporting you. You are never alone." My blinked away the tears as the Master's words made all my doubts and worries fade. I took a deep breath and nodded. The Master smiled at me and sat on the edge of his desk.

"This mission is bordering S-Class and I would feel better if you took an S-Class wizard with you. Seeing as Erza is not here at the moment and we shouldn't delay with the situation this bad, Laxus will go with you." Master looked over at the blonde dragon slayer who stood up.

"I'll go let the Raijinshuu know. We'll meet at the train station in an hour." With that Laxus walked out of the room. I turned back to Master who had a proud look on his face as he stared at the door. I smiled a little knowing how much the Master was proud of Laxus for taking care of his guildmates. Over the past few months I had gotten to know Laxus and he was nothing like he was before. He really did care about the guild and everyone in it. I even understood a little about why he wanted to take over Fairy Tail. He was surprised when I told him that, but I could tell he liked that someone had tried to understand his reasons.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _I was sitting at the bar when Mira rushed over to me with a plate of food in her hand._

 _"Lucy, can you please take this up to Laxus for me? I need to be down here helping Lisanna with all these customers. Please?" She pleaded with me. I looked around and saw how busy it had gotten and nodded while taking the plate from her. She smiled gratefully at me as I headed toward the stairs. I was barely outside the Master's office for more than a second when Laxus shouted that I could come in. I opened the door and walked in. Laxus was at his desk doing paperwork while Master was downstairs drinking, trying to get away from the loads of paper on his desk._

 _"Mira asked me to bring your plate for you," I said as I came closer to his desk. He barely looked up at me as he pointed to the edge of the desk, silently telling me to place the plate there. I laid it there and continued to watch him as he finished the paper he was working on._

 _"Like what you see, Blondie?" Laxus said smirking as he looked up at me. I puffed out my cheeks and said, "You're blonde too, idiot. And no, I was going to ask if you needed help, but for that comment I'm just going to go back." I smiled and turned away when Laxus asked, "Oh, and what does the little princess know about finances and other legal shit." I turned around and smiled sweetly at him._

 _"Did you forget this little princess came from a wealthy family? I was practically bred to be able to run a business and be an ideal wife." I continued to smile at him as he studied me for a minute before saying, "Alright Blondie. You can help, but remember anything you see here is confidential." He gave me a pointed look and stood up before walking over to Master's desk._

 _"You can work at my desk, and I'll try to work on Jiji's mountains of paperwork. Damn old man keeps pushing it off on me. Damn bastard." Laxus muttered under his breath. I let out a giggle as I walked to his desk and got comfortable in his chair. We worked in silence for the next couple of hours and I had just sealed the last apology letter for the destruction of my team before looking over at Laxus._

 _The poor guy still had over half a mountain of paperwork and it didn't seem to be getting any smaller no matter how much he worked. Taking pity on him, I got up and took a couple of piles off his desk and sat it on mine. He looked up at me, then over at his desk. I noticed his slight surprised face, then it turned into a smile before he continued working. I was halfway through the first pile when Laxus's voice scared me out of my concentration._

 _"Blondie, I have a question." I noticed his voice held a hint of nervousness and I 'hmed' in response, waiting for him to continue._

 _After a few minutes had past I thought he wasn't going to ask, when he said, "I'm sorry for everything. Is it possible that you could ever forgive me?" Now the nervousness in his voice was obvious and I looked over to see him still working, but I could see the pen in his hand shaking a little. I didn't mean to laugh, but the thought of Laxus Dreyar, the strongest man in Fairy Tail, apologizing to me was just too funny. He looked up at me with a slight hurt look in his eyes and I tried to get my laughing under control._

 _"I'm sorry, Laxus. I didn't mean to laugh, it's just I didn't expect you to ask that. But to answer your question, no it's not possible because I already forgave you and the Raijinshuu a long time ago. There's nothing for you to apologize for and I understand a little about why you did it." I said once I had stopped laughing._

 _"What do you mean you understand?" he asked, sounding a little defensive._

 _"You did what you had to because you only wanted to save Fairy Tail. Makarov is getting old and will retire someday and make you master. You were scared of that happening because you thought that the Fairy Tail you knew and grew up in would change and you didn't want that to happen. So you just did what you thought was right and tried to change it before you became master. Even though it was the wrong approach to save the Fairy Tail you knew, you did it only because you loved it." I smiled at him as he looked completely amazed at me. I started to shift uncomfortably under his gaze, and he must've noticed because he turned back to his work, but not before saying, "Thanks, Lucy."_

 _Flashback Ends_

* * *

Ever since then I have continued to help Laxus and we've become closer, almost like siblings. I smiled at the memory and looked back up to Master who was trying to get my attention.

"Sorry, Master. What did you say?" I asked, embarrassed that I zoned out. He smiled at me and said, "You should get going, you have to meet Laxus in an hour and you still need to pack." I nodded and stood up. I started heading toward the door when I remembered something. "Oh, Master. When you see my team, tell them I'm on a mission and that I'll be back in a few days. If they give you any trouble just tell them if they try to come after me I'll have Virgo to punish them." I smiled sweetly at Master who just nodded but had paled a little. I walked out of the office and waved goodbye to everyone before heading home.

I got home and started packing. I didn't know how long we'd be gone so I packed enough clothes for a week. When I was done I decided to leave a note for my team in case they came here before going to the guild. After that was done I looked at the time to see I had twenty minutes to get to the train station. I grabbed my suitcase, locked the door and headed toward the station. When I arrived I noticed a head of green hair sitting on a bench. I walked over to him and started to smile.

"Hello Freed," I said, giggling a little when he jumped and looked up. It took him a minute to recognize me, but when he did he gave me a smile and said, "Hello Lucy, it's good to see you."

"You too. I guess Laxus told you about the mission?" I asked as I took the seat next to him on the bench.

He nodded, "Yes he did, and I'm surprised that there were other keys besides the Gold and Silver keys. Have you heard of any others?" he asked.

I shook my head and replied, "No, I haven't. I've been trying to remember if my mom had said anything about other keys, but I can't recall anything." He gave a hum in response. We sat there lost in our thoughts when suddenly a doll flew in my face saying, "Lucy, Lucy!" I jumped a little, but seeing that it was one of Bickslow's 'babies' I laughed at it and pulled it into a hug. It squealed and flew back to Bickslow who had just came up.

"Hey, Cosplayer," he greeted. "Cosplayer, cosplayer" his 'babies' said, copying Bickslow. I giggled at them and said, "I'm not a cosplayer, Bix. Only Sagittarius dresses up." He rolled his tongue out at me, causing me to shake my head. Laxus and Ever showed up a few minutes later and Freed handed us our tickets. We boarded the train and Ever sat beside me, talking about this new makeup product she bought. The guys sat across from us and before I could say anything, Laxus spoke. "Blondie, do you know anything about this key?"

"No. Like I told Freed, I've never heard of any other keys besides the Gold and Silver keys. Maybe this key has just been hiding for a long time and people forgot about it. I know the more powerful spirits can hide their keys, so maybe this spirit did that and no one has been able to find it." I said, but I had a feeling there was more to it than that.

"Could the key be the one causing the people to change?" Freed asked, looking at me.

"It could. The more powerful a spirit is the more it can leave an aura surrounding their key to where it can affect people." I answered, thinking if that was happening.

"Yeah, but there's also that group that was mentioned. They could be mages who have the ability of mind control." Bickslow said. I nodded, not sure how to respond.

"We'll know more when we get there. For now let's get some rest. It's a long ride between Magnolia and Foss." Ever said while getting comfortable in her seat. I leaned my head against the window as my mind began thinking over everything I knew about Celestial Magic. As my eyelids began to droop, I vaguely heard a voice say, _"It's time,"_ before I fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

I woke up to the sound of Bickslow's yelling and looked to see him on the floor holding his head. I glanced up to see Freed who was reading a book as if nothing happened and an amused expression on Laxus's face.

"Did Freed hit Bickslow with a book again?" Ever asked.

Laxus nodded while Bickslow said, "No Ever, I'm just holding my fucking head and groaning in pain because I fucking felt like it." He glared at her and Freed while his 'babies' floated around his head. He looked like a little kid who had just got scolded by his parents.

Ever hit Bickslow with her fan and he pulled her off the seat then smacked her upside the head. They started arguing and trading insults with each other while Freed tried to break them up but failed and Laxus had to step in and pull them apart. Without meaning to, I started giggling. I couldn't help but compare them to my team. They all looked up at me and their confused expressions had me laughing harder.

"What the hell's so funny, Blondie?" Laxus asked. I laughed for a few more minutes before I finally settled down.

"It's just that you guys act exactly like my team, minus the destruction part." I giggled a little then sighed as they continued to give me confused looks. "Ever and Bix would be Natsu and Gray because of all their fighting. Freed would be me because he tried to break them apart but failed, and Laxus would be Erza because he's the leader and can stop those two from fighting. And now that I think about it Bix's 'babies' could be Happy because they fly and tease everyone," I said with a small smile. I'm a little upset they couldn't come, but maybe it's for the best. _Until we know what's causing the people to attack each other, it's better if we keep Natsu away_ , I thought. They all shook their heads and mumbled about being compared to that 'demolition team.'

' _We will be arriving at Foss in five minutes"_ The trains conductor said over the intercom. We all got our bags from the compartment overhead and sat back down.

"Do you guys want me to store your bags in the Celestial Spirit World so you don't have to lug them around?" I asked. When they all nodded I grabbed Virgo's keys and shouted, "Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo."

"Punishment, Hime?" Virgo asked once she appeared. The others looked at me surprised, but before they could say anything I quickly responded, "No, Virgo, no punishment. Can you store our bags in the Spirit World?" She nodded and picked our bags up, but before she left she turned to me and said, "Crux said to be careful on this mission. He's been doing research on this key and all he's found is that the key is not from this world and is incredibly powerful. Please be careful, Hime," then she disappeared in a golden light.

"What did she mean not from this world?" Laxus asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know, but if Grandpa Crux said to be careful with this key, then we should listen to him. I'll call him after we've talked with the mayor." The others nodded and the train came to a stop. ' _We have arrived at Foss. Make sure you grab all your luggage and have a nice day'_ the conductor said. We got up and walked off the train. The town seemed empty and lifeless and all the buildings had their windows boarded up as if they were hiding from something. Some even looked like they had been burnt.

"There's no one around. Isn't this town usually bustling with people everywhere?" Ever asked. Now that I looked around I notice how deserted the streets were. There was not a single person anywhere. You'd think it was abandoned if there wasn't trash and the resident's belongings scattered over the sidewalks. It's almost as if everyone here started panicking and left behind whatever they were holding. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move in the alley we were passing by. I stopped to look when hands holding a knife lunged at me from the darkness. I screamed and was pulled back right before the guy was electrocuted.

I looked up to see Bickslow holding me as Ever and Freed moved beside him. Laxus had walked up to the guy and held him up. The guy was still shaking from the lightning, but wasn't unconscious. He looked like he'd been in a fight recently judging by his black eye, busted lip and tattered clothes. His eyes were darting around everywhere as if he was afraid of something. I looked around us to see if anything or anyone was near, but I saw nothing. As I turned back the other way, something caught my attention in the alley across from us.

There in the shadows were two people watching us. They were both wearing black cloaks and it looked like they had swords on their backs judging by the hilts over their shoulders. The thing that really made them stand out was their orange and white hair. For a minute I thought Elfman had followed us, but the size of the white head was way too small. They saw me staring at them and the one with orange hair held a finger to his mouth, silently telling me not to say anything. For some reason I nodded, believing that they weren't bad. The orange haired guy gave me a little smile before they both disappeared in a flash. That was when I noticed that they had been watching us the whole time. I felt goosebumps on my arms as I turned back around to see that the guy who tried to attack me was in Freed's runes.

"I didn't mean to. I just saw her and suddenly had the urge to kill her. It's been like that for days. Everything would be normal then the next, everyone is killing each other. When we come to our senses we see bodies and blood everywhere. It's terrifying." The man was on his knees with his head in his hands crying. I took a step forward and kneeled in front of the barrier.

"Do you know why this is happening?" I asked in a gentle voice. He shook his head and I sighed. I started to get up when he lunged at the barrier making me fall backwards, my face becoming leveled with his blood red eyes staring straight at me.

"Die bitch, die," he muttered then started laughing. The barrier turned blue all of a sudden and shocked him until he was unconscious. I looked at the others whose face held surprise or disgust in Ever's case. I slowly got up, but because of the fear that was coursing through me, my legs gave out and if Freed hadn't caught me I would have fell to the ground.

"Thanks Freed. Uhm, what did you do to him?" I asked, still shaking.

"When I wrote the runes I put in a rule stating that if the person inside started to get violent or hit the barrier then they would be electrocuted," he said, helping me back onto my feet. I held on to him, not trusting my legs as we started moving.

"Let's get to the mayor's house fast before anyone else decides to suddenly find it fun to chop us up," Laxus said, picking up his pace a little. Soon we arrived at a large white house that was boarded up just like the rest of the town. We knocked on the door and waited for a few minutes. Laxus started to knock again when the door slightly opened to reveal an older man with graying hair and fear in his eyes.

"W-wh-who a-are y-you?" he asked in a fearful voice.

"Mages from Fairy Tail." Laxus said.

"S-sho-show m-me y-your in-insg-insignias?" he stuttered. Laxus lifted his shirt, Ever removed the right side of her jacket, Bix stuck his tongue out and Freed and I raised our hands. Once the old man saw our Fairy Tail symbols he opened the door wider and gestured for us to come in. He looked around outside before he closed the door and then turned to us. "F-follow m-me."

We walked down a long hallway that was bare expect for a small table or two and an occasional plant. The walls were white and bare and made me feel like I had just entered a prison. We arrived at a large brown door and when we entered the first thing I noticed was the smell of mud, iron, and blood. I looked around to see dozens of people sitting around or laying in beds with injuries. Little kids were holding tightly to their mothers as the mother tried to comfort them or held the hand of someone else.

"I know this wasn't part of the request, but can you please try to help some of them," the old man looked at us with a pleading expression. I couldn't stand to see that look or the people here suffering so I grabbed Gemini's key.

"Open, Gate of the Twins, Gemini," I quietly said, trying not to disturb the people. Gemi and Mini popped out and started floating around my head shouting 'Lucy, Lucy'. I smiled at them and asked, "Can you turn into Wendy and try to heal some of these people. Don't heal all of them, just the ones who are in critical condition, but if you get done and have enough power left heal as many as you can." They nodded and in a puff of smoke turned into Wendy and started working. After about an hour, I was beginning to feel the drain on my magic and sat down beside a little girl who was holding a stuffed bear.

She looked up at me and asked, "Are you a mage?" I nodded. "Are you here to stop the bad guy?" I nodded again and she suddenly hugged me, tears streaming down her face. I wrapped my arms around her and she started to tell me how her parents suddenly killed each other in front of her and when she ran out everyone was attacking each other and how the streets were red with blood. I felt tears sliding down my face and another hand rested on the girls head. I looked up to see Ever with tears in her eyes as she watched the little girl.

"Lucy" Gemini-Wendy said as she came closer. "We did all we could. So far nothing was too critical and they should all make it within a few days time."

"Thank you Gemini. You can go back now," I said. They nodded and left. The little girl had fell asleep in my arms so I gently laid her down and stood up. I looked over to the old man and said, "You need to tell us about our mission now." He nodded and we followed him as he walked to the other side of the room where another door was and entered. It was a small room with a bookcase filled with books, a couch, two chairs, and a desk. The old man sat at the desk while we sat on the couch and chairs.

"I'm guessing your Lucy, right?" He asked looking at me. When I nodded he sighed and I could visibly see the tension leave his shoulders. He got up out of his chair and walked to a painting that was behind us that I hadn't noticed when we came in. He removed the painting from the wall to reveal a safe. He opened and took something out, but I couldn't see it because he was blocking my view. He came back to the desk, sat down, and began talking.

"It happened about a week ago. Some people were out camping in the nearby forest and found a strange key." He put the key on the desk and I could feel the abnormal aura that was surrounding it. What caught my eye about it were two things. The first was that it was midnight black, the second was the symbol on the end of the key which was purple and was shaped in a circle with a squiggly line in the middle. It reminded me of one of those 'not allowed' signs. I started to feel a pull toward the key and didn't realize I was leaning forward until the old man spoke again.

"After the people who found it brought it to me, I put it in that safe thinking it was valuable. Everything was fine for a few days, then suddenly everyone went crazy. It started with the people who found the key then it spread. Everyone had red eyes and were intent on killing anyone they saw. After a few hours, we returned to normal and saw the aftermath. Everything was red, the buildings were busted up and some were on fire. We put the fire out and boarded up the windows, then I told everyone that they could stay here in the manor if they wanted to. Some people didn't and are still out there." He had a few tears streaming down his face and I felt my heart break a little for this man.

"What about the group that was mentioned on the request?" Laxus asked, and I could tell he was trying to be gentle with his words. The old man shook his head.

"We don't know anything about them except they arrived around the time the key did. We don't know what they look like except that they were wearing black cloaks. We don't know if they are related to the key or not." I felt my breath hitched when he mentioned the cloaks. _Were the two that I saw a part of this group?_ I thought. _But I didn't sense anything bad from them. I could tell they were powerful, but not bad._

"Sir, if I may, can I have that key so I can research it?" He nodded and handed to me. Once it touched my hand, I felt a rush of hatred flow through me and I dropped the key. Bix bent to pick it up and I shot my hand out to stop him.

"Don't touch it," I said, panicking. I saw the confusion in his eyes, but he nodded and pulled his hand back. I reached down and picked it up. Instead of the rush of hatred I felt a minute ago, I felt a wave of curiosity and confusion, as if the spirit behind the key was feeling these emotions. I felt eyes on me looked up to see everyone watching me. I felt my face heat up and turned to the old man. "Is there a room for us to stay in? I don't want to research this key with a lot of people watching me," I asked.

"Of course, follow me." The old man stood up and ushered us out the door. We walked past the residents and back into the long hallway. He then led us up a stairway and when we got to the top he opened a door and let us enter. There were two king sized beds, two couches, an arm chair, a fireplace and another door that was probably a bathroom. It was like being in a five-star hotel. This room is bigger than my whole apartment, I thought.

"Thank you," I said to him. All he did was give me a nod and left, closing the door behind him. I turned back to the others who had already made themselves comfortable. Laxus and Bix had claimed the couches, Freed was sitting in the arm chair and Ever was stretched out on one of the beds. I sat on the other bed and started fiddling with the black key. I still felt the curiosity and confusion, but I also felt a bit of loneliness and sadness. I was so lost in looking at the key that I didn't hear the others calling me until one of Bickslow's 'babies' flew in my face. I looked up to see everyone watching me.

"Uh, sorry. I was just trying to figure out this key," I said, embarrassed.

"It's fine, blondie. Figured anything out?" Laxus asked.

"Nothing. I can feel a lot of power from this spirit, but all I'm getting is his feelings. When I first touched it, it was like I was being filled with hate and darkness and that's why I dropped the key. When I saw Bix reaching for it, I had a feeling that no one should touch it and stopped him." I explained, still confused about it all.

"Has your spirit found anything about this key, Lucy?" Freed asked. After everything that happened, I had forgotten that Grandpa Crux was researching about this. I pulled his key out and summoned him, "Open, Gate of the Southern Cross, Crux." Grandpa Crux appeared, floating in front of me. "Hello, Lucy-sama," he said.

"Hello Grandpa Crux. Virgo said you were researching this key. Have you found out anything?" I asked, hoping he had something.

"Yes, I have found all I could and was waiting for you to call me. What you have in your hand is a Demon Key," he replied.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"A Demon Key?" I repeated, confused. I've never heard of that.

"Yes, that black key in your hand is a Demon Key," Crux said.

"What is that?" Freed asked coming over and sitting beside me on the bed. I could almost feel the excitement coming off of him over this new information. I felt the bed dip behind me and knew Ever had joined us. Bix also came over and sat on the floor in front of Crux while his 'babies' rested in his lap. Laxus stayed on the couch with his soundpod over his ears, pretending to be asleep, but I knew he was listening.

"Have you heard of the Seven Sins?" Freed and I nodded, while the others shook their heads.

"The Seven Sins are demons that personify the negative emotions that humans feel. Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, and Sloth. The one you have in your hand is the Sin of Gluttony." I looked down at the key which was sending a warm feeling, like it was happy to be acknowledged.

"Do you know who the demons are and which Sin they personify?" Freed asked. His eyes were sparkling with curiosity and had a notepad in his hand, writing down what he heard. He's like a kid in a candy shop, I thought, smiling a little.

"The leader of the Sins is Satan, the demon of Wrath. Satan is the strongest and most dangerous of the Seven. The next strongest would be Lucifer, demon of Pride, then Mammon, demon of Greed. The demon of Lust is Asmodeus and the demon of Envy is Leviathan, these two you may find together. Belphegor is the demon of Sloth, and the last one is Beelzebub, the demon of Gluttony." I heard Freed's intake of breath every time Crux named one of the demons. Even my breath hitched a little when a few were named.

"Where did these keys come from?" I asked, remembering Virgo saying that these keys aren't from this world.

"I do not know. That's the only thing I couldn't find." Crux answered and I slumped over, disappointed at the lack of information.

"Then do you know how they got here?" Freed asked. I felt myself perk up at the question. Even if Crux didn't know where they came from, he should know how they got here. Leave it to Freed to ask the right kind of questions.

"A long time ago, Zeref summoned the keys and gave them to the first Celestial Spirit Mage." I flinched at hearing Zeref's name, remembering the events on Tenroujima. "But, because of the side effects of the keys, the mage was driven mad and died. The keys were scattered and no one has seen them since, except for Beelzebub. One other person had the demon of Gluttony before it came into your possession." Crux's voice held a tinge of nervousness in it as he mentioned the previous owner.

"Who was the other person?" I asked, wanting to know. Crux looked at me and I could see him debating with himself on what to say. He came to a decision and sighed before saying, "Your mother, Lucy-sama. Layla Heartfilia."

To say I was shocked was an understatement. I sat there stunned while the others looked at me. _My mother had a demon key?_ was all I could think of at the moment. Fingers snapped in front of my face, bringing me out of my shock.

"How did my mom have the key? How come I don't have it now like I do Aquarius and Cancer? Why didn't I know about it?" The questions kept flowing out of my mouth while my brained still tried to process this new information.

"Layla-sama found the key on the estate before you were born. You don't remember it because you were very young when she lost it which is why you don't have it." Crux explained.

"What do you mean lost it?" I asked, confused as to how that happened. There is only two ways to break a contract with a spirit and that is if the mage goes to jail, or is killed.

"The demon keys aren't like the Zodiac and Silver keys. Making a contract and summoning are the same as making one with a Gold or Silver key, but breaking the contract is different. Since these keys personify the Seven Sins, the contractor has to have the opposite virtue for the contract to work. However, if the contractor loses this virtue, the contract breaks. That's what happened to Layla-sama. Your father had just lost a business deal and was angry, so he took it out on Layla-sama. Your mother had always been strong, but that night he did something that made her hate him. That hate caused her to lose the key."

Tears were forming in my eyes as I listened to Crux's explanation. I never knew that my father was the cause of my mothers change. A few months before she got sick, she had been acting differently towards him, but I never knew why. "What happened to the key?" I whispered, my voicing cracking as I held the tears in.

"It was sent away. If a contract with a Demon Key breaks, the key is sent far away from the contractor. I don't know why though." Crux replied. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. "What are the other Sin's virtues?" Freed asked, seeing that I couldn't speak.

"The Sin of Wrath's virtue is courage. Pride is humility, Lust is self-restraint, and Greed is forgiveness. Gluttony is love, Envy is kindness, and Sloth is faith. Lucy-sama, that is all I know, so I will be going now. Please, be careful." With that he disappeared. I continued to sit on the bed as we all fell into silence. I felt arms wrap around me and I leaned to the comfort that Ever was providing. We sat like that for a few minutes before I pulled away. I smiled at her then turned to the others. "We need to make a plan on how to capture this group that's lurking around." They nodded and gathered around the table.

After about an hour, Laxus, Freed, and Bix went to go set the perimeter of the town with runes while Ever and I stayed in the room. While we waited, I walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I relaxed under the water as I felt exhausted from the drain on my magic. I closed my eyes and began thinking over the information Crux gave us. I was still shocked about my mom having a Demon key and how my father caused her to lose it. The water began to turn cold after a while, signaling me that it was time to get out. I changed into some shorts and a tank top before opening the door to find Ever with her hand raised, about to knock.

"The guys just got back. Why don't you get some sleep? You look exhausted," She said. I nodded and followed her. We both climbed into one of the beds and got comfortable. I barely remember the guys arguing over sleeping arrangements before I was asleep.

I woke up the next morning refreshed and ready to go. The plan we had was simple. Last night the guys put a barrier around the town and the surrounding forest permitting only Fairy Tail mages from entering or leaving. Afterwards we decided to split into teams and search in different locations. If we found someone, we were to chase them to the middle of the forest where Freed put up a jail-like barrier. It was a good plan, except for the teaming up part. Laxus was going to be by himself in the north section, Ever and Freed were in the west section, and I was with Bix in the east. To team me up with Bix when I was already in a bad mood, Freed must have wanted to give him a death wish.

"Cosplayer, I said I was sorry. I know I shouldn't have done that since I knew how important they were to you." Bix pleaded as we trudged through the thick forest.

"If you knew they were important then why did you do it?" I questioned. Idiot, what was he thinking?

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day. Everyone else was already awake and ready, so I hurried to the bathroom to change. When I came out, everyone was watching Bickslow with either amusement or disgust on their faces. I walked over to see what Bickslow and his 'babies' were doing and I felt my anger spike up. He was going through my duffel bag, while his 'babies' had my bra and panties on their heads. This was worst than Natsu. The others seemed to have noticed me as I headed toward Bix, who was still occupied. He finally turned around when I was behind him._

 _"Oh, he-hey, Cosplayer," he stuttered as I stood there._

 _"What are you doing, Bix?" I demanded._

 _"I, uh, well you see, I uh," he kept muttering as I raised an eyebrow. When he still hadn't said anything, I raised my leg and 'Lucy Kicked' him across the room. The others busted out laughing as I took a deep breath and said, "I get enough of this from Natsu and Happy, I don't need it from you, too." He nodded and I calm downed. I walked over to the bedside table where I laid my keys, only to find them gone. I started panicking and began searching all over the place._

 _"Lucy, what's wrong?" Ever asked, coming over._

 _"My keys. My keys are gone. I laid them here last night, but now their gone," I wailed, tears streaming down my face. I knew I was having a panic attack, but I didn't care, I had to find them._

 _"Lucy, calm down. We'll find your keys." Ever gently said, running a hand through my hair. We searched all over the room, but didn't find them. I sat on the floor and began crying. I couldn't believe I lost them, my family. I began to cry harder when a clinking sound echoed through the room. I looked up to see Bix holding my keys with a guilty expression. I ran over, grabbed them from his hand and hugged them to my chest._

 _"I'm sorry Cosplayer. You seemed down and I was trying to cheer you up, but this may have not been the best method," he mumbled, not looking at me. I didn't say anything as I put them on my belt and wiped my tears. "We should get going," I said, ignoring Bix and turning to the others._

 _Flashback Ends_

* * *

"Lucy, please, listen. I'm really, really, really sorry," he pleaded again. I stopped to look at him and felt bad for ignoring him for so long when I saw how upset and guilty he looked. I sighed and joked, "Well look at that. You actually do know my name." His face seemed to light up a little.

"Does this mean you forgive me then?" He asked, looking hopeful.

I nodded. "But don't do it again. I can't lose anymore of my family." He nodded and did his signature tongue roll. I started laughing when I saw something move behind a tree. It was too big and too fast to be an animal. I squinted my eyes to see a familiar head of orange hair. I grabbed Bix's arm and pointed. The orange haired boy realized he'd been spotted and took off, Bix running right behind him. I tried to catch up, dodging branches and roots, but they were too fast and I lost sight of them. When I finally caught up, Bix was walking around a glowing purple box that held the orange haired boy. Now that I was closer I got a good look at him. He was wearing some kind of black robe thing that had a red strap across his chest and a huge sword that was wrapped in cloth behind his back. His orange hair was spiky with warm brown eyes that were watching us.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Bickslow demanded. The boy simply stared at him before turning to me.

"You were that girl from yesterday, right?" He asked, his voice deeper than I thought. I nodded and he smiled. "Thanks for not ratting us out." Bickslow whipped his head around, a question in his eyes. I ignored him and replied, "No problem. I didn't think you guys were bad anyway. By the way, where's the other one."

"Him and the others are around here somewhere," the guy replied.

"Other's?" Bickslow questioned, but the guy still ignored him, keeping his attention on me. I felt Bix's irritation spike and decided to help.

"Before my partner decides to cause you unnecessary harm, will you please answer his questions?" I pleaded, hoping he'd listen. I want to avoid any possible injuries if I can.

"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo, substitute Shinigami, but you can just call me Ichigo. I can't tell you why I'm here and there are four other Shinigami's around here." Suddenly an explosion echoed through the trees. "That would be one of them," Ichigo said, turning pale. Something rustled behind us and I turned to see a petite girl with short black hair and dark blue eyes walking toward us. She had the same outfit as Ichigo except the sword was on her side.

"Rukia, was that explosion-" Ichigo was cut off when the girl spoke.

"Yes, that's him. We need to stop him before he tears the whole forest down." She looked at the barrier surrounding Ichigo. "I leave you for five minutes and you're already in trouble!" she yelled.

"Um, excuse me," I interrupted, gaining their attention. "We can get him out, but can you tell us what's going on?" Rukia seemed hesitant about answering. She looked down to avoid my eyes when hers widened in surprise as she looked back up at me.

"We'll tell you everything. Please let this idiot go," she answered. I nodded and began rewriting the runes. The barrier went down and Ichigo walked over to Rukia. They whispered something and Ichigo glanced at me before turning back to Rukia and nodded. Suddenly arms were around me and I was up in the air. I looked down to see Rukia holding me while Ichigo had Bickslow.

"This is the fastest way to travel. We have to stop him or the whole place will be destroyed," Rukia stated and I stifled a laugh thinking of all the times my team would destroy a town on our missions. We barely dodged a bolt of lightning as we landed in a wide clearing. As soon as the Shinigami's let us go, Bix and I rushed forward to see Laxus and a tall man with shocking light blue hair in the middle of a fight. Without thinking, I ran in front of them as soon as they released an attack. Laxus's eyes widened when he saw me standing there and quickly turned into lightning. He grabbed me just as the two attacks collided and made another explosion that had us flying into a tree. I heard Laxus grunt as his back hit the tree and landed on the ground.

"Laxus, are you ok?" I asked, searching him over for injuries. Suddenly a shadow fell over me and I turned to see a glowing red hand and psychotic blue eyes gleaming down at us.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I closed my eyes waiting for whatever attack was going to hit. A few minutes passed and nothing happened. I cracked an eye open to see a black robe standing between the psychotic man and us. My eyes traveled up to see long, red, spiky hair tied back and part of a white bandana across the guys forehead.

"What the fuck? Move, Renji," the blue haired man growled. The red-haired, Renji, kept standing there with a sword pointed at him. The blue haired guy raised his hand and emitted that red glow. I closed my eyes again, waiting for the impact, but a crashing noise made my eyes pop open to see the blue haired man against a broken tree, pieces of bark surrounding him. I turned my head to see who punched him and saw Ichigo's arm up in the air, hand still in a fist. I gaped at him, thinking, _How powerful is this guy?_

"Back off, Grimmjow," Ichigo growled, looking at the man laying across the clearing with a deadly look. A shiver went up my spine at how dangerous he looked. My body froze as I saw the blue haired man get up and slowly walk toward us. That's when I noticed his appearance was different than the others.

He was wearing white pants and an opened white jacket that revealed a long scar across his chest and a hole in his stomach. He had his hands shoved in his pockets and a sword loosely hanging from his right side. My eyes traveled upward as he came closer to see a bone mask attached to his right cheek. It had a few sharp teeth and a part of the upper and lower jaw bones. He kept coming closer until I could see electrifying light blue eyes that matched his spiky hair and what looked like light green lines under the corner of his eyes. He finally stopped in front of us and I had to strain to look up at him because he was so tall. _How can anyone be this tall? He's as big as Laxus!_

We continued to stare at each other, more like glare in Grimmjow's case, until something else caught his attention. His eyes darted to the side of me then back. He continued this a couple more times before he turned to Ichigo, who nodded. Suddenly he grabbed my shirt and pulled me up until our faces were inches away. I felt Ichigo and the others step closer, but I couldn't tear myself away from the blues eyes that were boring into me.

"Girl, where did you get that key?" He growled. I could feel his hot breath ghost over my face which was so close we were practically breathing the same air. His gleaming blue eyes was still piercing into mine and I couldn't speak, almost as if I was in a trance. A hand came over Grimmjow's arm and my trance was broken when he whipped his head around.

"Grimmjow, set her down. We'll figure this all out once everyone is here," Ichigo's voice was calm, but I could detect a warning in his words. They had a staring contest, until a rustling noise came from behind us. Grimmjow roughly set me down, but still kept a grip on my shirt as everyone's eyes watched the bush that was moving. The rustling stopped and a familiar white, spiky haired boy emerged from the bush. The others relaxed as they recognized the boy and I suddenly remembered who it was.

"Hey! It's you. The one that was with Ichigo yesterday," I said, struggling to get out of Grimmjow's hold which had tightened. The white haired boy turned his big turquoise eyes on me. He was wearing the same robe as Ichigo, but he had a some kind of white jacket over it. There was a sword on his back being held in place by a green sash that reached over his shoulder and a star like clip in the middle. His eyes turned to Grimmjow then to his hand fisted in my shirt.

"Put her down, Grimmjow," he sighed, his voice came out breathy, almost like frost, kind of reminding me of Gray.

"Yes, _Captain_ ," Grimmjow replied sarcastically before letting go causing me to hit the ground. God what is his problem? I screamed in my head, too afraid of him to say it aloud. Ichigo held a hand out to me and I gratefully took it as he pulled me up then turned to the white haired boy.

"Where have you been, Toshiro?" He questioned. The boys blue eyes glanced over at Ichigo and opened his mouth to speak when yelling interrupted him.

"Dammit Freed! I told you Laxus can handle this!" A girl's voice yelled.

"I know Laxus-sama is strong, but what if he needs help?" A calm, but concerned voice replied. The bushes rustled again to revealed an annoyed brown haired girl and a concerned green haired man.

"Ever! Freed!" I yelled as I ran toward them. Their faces lit up as they saw me and I wrapped my arms around Ever who hugged me back.

"Are you guys, alright?" I questioned as I let go of Ever who nodded and I looked over at Freed whose attention was directed somewhere else. I followed his line of sight to an unconscious Laxus being held up by a struggling Bickslow. I opened my mouth to say something but Freed had already ran to help Bickslow. Ever and I walked over and I silently summoned Gemini.

"Hello, Lucy," they both said, floating around my head.

"Hey, Gemi, Mini. Can you turn into Wendy again and look over Laxus. He hit his back over a tree when he saved me," I asked, feeling guilty that I was the cause. They nodded and turned into Wendy. They checked his head and back first then the rest of his body, healing him in a few places.

"Laxus will be alright. Nothing seems broken and he should wake up soon," Gemini-Wendy said, turning to me. I nodded and sighed in relief as the twins turned back to their original self.

"Lucy. Crux said to be careful. There is something else here that's bothering him, but he can't find it because it keeps disappearing," Gemi said, worried laced in his voice.

"But he also said that you should stay with the Shinigami's," Mini added, looking over the group of oddly dressed strangers. I nodded and they disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. I sighed again, _Great. Something else to search for. Wait._ I turned to look at the group that had gathered around, watching us. _Crux said to stay with them, then does that mean these people aren't the ones lurking around the town?_ I felt goosebumps rise on my arms as the thought of something more dangerous than these people was hiding in the woods.

"Lucy," Freed said, breaking my line of thought. "We should get back and talk to Crux again." I nodded and began to walk when a hand roughly grabbed my wrist. I was pulled into the air and was once again entranced in the glowing blue eyes of Grimmjow.

"You're not going anywhere until you give us that key," he growled in my face.

"Don't even think about touching my keys," I growled back, glaring at him. Inside I was scared to death of standing up to this psychotic man, but I'd be damn if I let him take my family. He gave me a grin that had me fearing for my life before he yanked at my belt and dropped me. I groaned as I hit the ground and looked up to glare at him when I saw something glistening in his hand. I felt for the side of my belt to find my keys not there. _Bix already took them once, I'm sure as hell not letting some crazed asshole take them as well,_ I thought as I stood up. My anger started to rise and I heard Bix mumble an 'oh, shit,' and moved back with the rest of the Raijinshuu. Sensing the danger, Ichigo and his group moved back too, while Grimmjow stood there, unfazed.

"What ya gonna do, girlie? You want these back?" he laughed, dangling my keys. My anger began to spike up more as I slowly began to walk toward him. I stopped and stood in front of him as he continued to laugh. I shifted my body and kicked my leg up with everything I had and felt it connect with his head. He had a look of surprise on his face as he was sent flying across the clearing again. My keys landed in the open space between us and I ran to grab them.

"If you ever touch my keys, you're going to wish I kicked you like that again. Understand, Grimmjow?" I threatened in a calm voice. I saw Grimmjow shiver a little but nodded, too stunned to speak. I turned back to the others to see Ichigo and the red head doubled over, laughing along with Bix and Ever. The white head and Rukia had a small smile on their faces, amused at Grimmjow's predicament. I felt my face heat up at the embarrassment and turned back around only to bump into a strong, muscular chest. _Uh oh._ I looked up to see dangerous eyes glinting back at me, but I could see a hint of curiosity and amusement dancing behind them. Suddenly he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. An 'eep' sound escaped from my mouth as I struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Calm down, girlie," he growled while his grip tightened. I huffed and gave up, knowing I had no chance of breaking his hold on me. I felt him laugh at my annoyance and smacked his head as hard as I could.

"You little-" he was cut off when someone said, "We should go some place else. This place doesn't seem safe."

"We have a room in the mayors house. We can go there," I spoke up, but my voice was muffled due to the blood rushing to my head. They must've heard me because I was suddenly looking at the ground that was about a mile away and continued to keep moving until I saw cobblestone pavement a few inches away.

I didn't realize that I had a death grip on Grimmjow's jacket until he said, "You can let go now, girlie." I uncleansed my hands and he put me back on the ground. I started to walk forward, but my head was swimming from the sudden movements and I began to fall. Hands grabbed my shoulders and I was once again lifted up, but instead of being thrown over a shoulder, I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and under my knees. I blushed at the position and turned my head to see a scarred chest. I heard snickering and looked to see Ever and Rukia laughing while the guys just looked between them and me.

"Where do we go, girlie?" Grimmjow's voice rumbled against me and I had to suppressed a shiver as I pointed down the street toward the big white mansion. We began walking and I noticed that Grimmjow's gait was slow and smooth, yet there was a menacing step hiding underneath it. I looked up and began to studied his face. His high cheekbones and smooth tanned skin, the spiky blue hair that looks soft, and the slanted, yet glowing blue eyes that seem to trap me in a mesmerizing trance. Overall he seemed handsome despite being a psychopath, yet his features reminded me of someone, then the realization hit me. _He looks like Happy._

"What the hell you staring at me for?" his deep voice scaring me out of my thoughts.

"You look like a cat." The words were out before I could stop them. I quickly covered my mouth as he stopped and looked at me. I heard laughing but was too scared of what he might do if I looked away.

"The fuck did you just say?" he asked, blue eyes glaring at me. I already started, might as well finish it.

"I said you look like a cat. It's not a bad thing. I know a blue cat that flies and talks, though the feline features look better on you." My eyes widened as I realized what I just said and felt a blush spreading across my face. I avoided looking at everyone's eyes, which I knew were watching us, and fiddled with my hands. A booming laugh echoed around the street and I jumped, startled at the reaction from Grimmjow.

"If you wanted me that bad girlie, just say so." He continued laughing as my face began to burn more.

"Damn perverted cat," I mumbled as we continued forward. I suddenly began to feel uneasy and noticed that the Shinigami's were tense and eyes darting everywhere. A huge line abruptly ripped the sky and a huge black like skeleton with a hole in it's stomach stepped out. What the hell is that? was the only thought running through my mind.

"Why the hell is a Menos here?" the red head yelled while the others reached for their swords. I felt Grimmjow's arms tense up under me and looked up to see his face glowing with excitement. He roughly sat me on the ground and jumped into the air. I watched as him and the Shinigami's began fighting the 'Menos'. They began slashing at what I assumed was it's head, but their attacks were just grazing it. All of a sudden, the white head opened it's mouth and a red ball began to form until a laser shot out, destroying part of the town. I sat there terrified as I continued to watch the destruction of this monster. _This thing is worse than my team._

I saw Ever, Freed and Bix help a barely conscious Laxus walk over to me and watch the Shinigami's desperate attacks doing little damage to the monster. I began to feel a warm pulse on my side and glanced down to see the black key glowing a purple aura. I took it off the ring and felt excitement and glee pass through, as if it wanted to join the fight. I remembered that Crux said summoning was the same as a Gold or Silver key and raised my hand. "Open, Gate of Gluttony, Beelzebub!" nothing happened. I tired a few more times, and still nothing happened.

I gazed at the key in confusion, not understanding why it wasn't working. Maybe I have to call it by it's key name. "Open, Demon Gate, Beelzebub!" still nothing. I began to grow frustrated just as a voice whispered, _"The sin."_ I looked around to see who had talked, but the others were still watching the fight. I glanced back down at the key which was glowing brighter.

"Open, Demon Gate, Gluttony!" and a mist of purple smoke began to surround me. I started to cough when a deep voice froze me in place.

"Layla?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for all the great reviews. I am glad you like it and I hope I can keep this story as wonderful as you guys say it is. I will try my best to keep updating every week, so without further delay, here is the next chapter. Enjoy:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

I stood there rooted to the spot as the smoke started to fade away to reveal a tall man with dark purple hair that was spiked in every direction and calming light purple eyes. He wore a black buttoned up vest with detached sleeves that were held on his arms by a white buckle and black leather pants that hung loose on his hips. The power emitting from this man was suffocating and the drain on my magic was immense. It took all the strength I had to keep from doubling over in pain.

"Is it really you, Layla?" He asked, sounding hopeful, yet I could detect a sadness hiding beneath it. _So my mom did have his key._

"I'm sorry, but my name is Lucy," I said, my voice coming out low. His emotionless face stared back at me, but I could see the disappointment flickering in his eyes.

"I am Layla's daughter though," I told him, wanting to comfort him somehow. His face held a look of surprise, but then he suddenly vanished. I stood there looking for him when I was pulled back, just in time to see the red head Shinigami crash into the place I just stood.

"Don't want my new master getting hurt," A voice whispered in my ear, sending chills through me. I gazed up at my new spirit who stared back emotionlessly. I leaned back into the demon as my vision began to go blurry and my legs became weak from exhaustion. I felt hands pick me up then set me down against a wall.

"I'll finish this quickly, then we can talk afterwards," was all I heard before I felt a gust of wind. The strong breeze cleared my vision and I gaped at the scene in front of me.

The demon's appearance had changed. His dark purple hair was now black and his calming light purple eyes had turned dark and hostile. His skin had a purple hue to it and his arms were a dark purple and black color. _It kind of reminds me of Cobra's poison,_ I thought looking on in awe at how easily he was beating the monster. Strike after strike he attacked until the monsters head split into tiny white pieces and it's body evaporated into air. I jumped as the Shinigami's landed on the ground beside me, their breathing heavy and frustration on their faces. The only one who didn't seem annoyed was the white head, who was studying my spirit as he returned to the attire he first appeared in.

"How did you take that Menos down?" The red head demanded, pointing a sword at the spirit. It was obvious that he couldn't hold out if he battled him. Seeing this, the spirit just gazed at him before turning to me. He opened his mouth to say something when a fist connected with his face, sending him flying into the spot next to me. I followed the arm to see a pissed of Grimmjow glaring at him.

"That was my prey, you purple-ass freak," he growled. Grimmjow stormed at him, fist ready to punch him again. Ignoring my pain and exhaustion, I quickly jumped up from my spot and stood between my spirit and the crazed man. Grimmjow stopped his advance and turned his glare on me. "Move girlie," he demanded. I flinched, but didn't move.

"I called him here, so your fight is with me. I won't let you hurt my spirit," I replied, taking my whip from my side. I was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion and had to use all my remaining strength to stay standing. _How dumb is this guy? Didn't he learn his lesson when he took my keys?_ The others circled us, ready to jump in if things got out of hand as we stood there. Something flickered over his face before he grinned and started laughing. Not the booming laugh he did earlier, but a chuckling laugh that echoed around the destroyed town.

"I won't touch your spirit this time, Blaze. But if he interferes with my fight again, I'll kill him," he threatened. I nodded and let go of the breath I had been holding. I put my whip back and turned to my spirit. He was staring up at me with awe, happiness, and something that I couldn't place. I held a hand out and helped him up, checking him over to make sure he was alright. I nodded to myself when I saw no injuries and was about to say something when he interrupted me.

"Master, I will go back now. Your magic is low, but once you have rested I will come back on my own and answer your questions." Once he was gone, I felt the full effect of having him out and fell to my knees. My breathing was heavy and I felt as if I had been the one fighting by how exhausted I was. My body wouldn't respond and cried in pain each time I tried to move. I fell onto my side, not having the strength to hold myself up as my vision became blurry again. I closed my eyes and barely heard my name being called before I passed out.

* * *

I awoke to a heaviness on my stomach and looked down to see Bickslow's 'babies' laying on me and smiled. Something shifted beside me and I looked over to see Ever beside me. I tried to sit up, moving slowly so I didn't wake anyone up, but my movements caused the 'babies' to stir. They floated up, and noticed I was awake, began shouting, "Lucy's awake! Lucy's awake!" and nuzzled my neck. Ever shot up at the shouting and was whipping her head around, trying to find the source. When she saw that I was awake and sitting up, her eyes teared up and she pulled me into a tight hug.

"I thought you weren't going to wake up. You were so pale and barely breathing. I was so scared," she sobbed into my hair. Her loud sobs broke the silence in the room and the others began to groan and protest as they started to wake up.

"Goddam it Ever. We told you she'd be okay," a deep voice rumbled and a head of blonde hair appeared at the foot of my bed. Orange, red, and green hair popped up from the floor on the other side. I saw Rukia sit up in the other bed, yawning while the white haired boy and Grimmjow were laid back on the couches.

I heard movement in the kitchen and turned. What I saw had me blinking a couple times to make sure I was seeing right. Bix was in the kitchen setting the table while wearing black sweatpants and a yellow apron with pink little flowers and bunnies over his bare chest. The sight made me giggle causing everyone to turn to me. Their faces were a mix of surprise, relief and happiness, but their half asleep faces had me laughing harder.

"Has she lost her fucking mind?" Someone asked, probably Grimmjow, but I didn't care. I just kept laughing until I ended up falling to the floor, taking the covers and Ever with me. I continued to laugh as Ever tried to untangle the covers from our bodies.

"Yep, definitely lost her mind," someone answered. I sat up, wiping the tears from eyes.

"Sorry. It's just seeing Bix in an apron with pink flowers and bunnies is something I thought I'd never see." I explained, chuckling again. Everyone turned to Bix whose face was shocked, and started laughing, too.

"You know you like it Cosplayer. Now then, breakfast is done so come eat. I'm sure Cosplayer is hungry," Bix said just as my stomach growled from hunger. I felt my face heat up as everyone laughed and stood up. I took a step forward only to fall toward the ground. I felt strong arms lift me up and sit me down in a seat at the table as Laxus sat beside me, giving me a concerned look.

"I'm alright. No need to get all big brother Laxus on me. My legs are just weak from being in bed awhile. Speaking of, how long have I been out?" I asked, picking up a piece of toast and nibbling on it.

"About a week, Lucy," Laxus answered. I choked on the bread.

"A week?! What? You're kidding right?" I asked, hoping he was joking. Laxus shook his head and I leaned back in my chair. _How could I have been out that long? They must've been worried. This was suppose to be a three day trip. I wonder if the guild's worried. I bet Natsu's running all over the place, trying to fined me._ I felt my eyes widening. I looked at Laxus who was watching me with a knowing look. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a communications lacrima. He handed to me and I smiled gratefully before focusing my attention on the lacrima.

"Guild," I whispered, channeling my magic into the clear ball in my hand. Master's worried face filled the lacrima's surface.

"Laxus is everything alright? How's Lu-" he cut off his question and his face broke into a wide grin as he saw me.

"Lucy! You're alright. You had me and the guild so worried. When Laxus contacted us saying that you were unconscious, I had to hold your team back from coming after you." He was smiling, but tears were rolling down his face.

"I'm sorry Master. I didn't mean to worry you. Is my team there? Can I talk to them?" I asked. He nodded and started yelling. The lacrima was turned rapidly and I was met with two worried faces.

"H-Hey guys. I'm sorry I caused so much trouble, but I promise I'm fine. Just used too much magic," I said, trying to reassure them.

"Luce, why didn't you wait for us. I thought we were a team," Natsu's voice sounded hurt and Happy mumbled a quiet 'Aye Sir.' I felt the guilt creep into me and lowered my head a little.

"We are a team Natsu and I'm sorry. This town needed help and I couldn't wait for you guys, but I promise when I get back we'll all go on a mission. You can even pick it, Natsu. How's that sound?" Natsu's face lit up and he gave me his big goofy grin. "Aye Sir!" Both him and Happy shouted. The lacrima was taken from the now energetic dragon slayer and I was faced with the worried looks of Erza and Gray.

"Are you sure you're alright? If Laxus did anything to you, I'll cut him to pieces for dishonoring you," Erza threatened, a few swords appearing behind her. I glanced up at Laxus. His mouth was curved into a small smirk but his face was pale. _I guess everyone is afraid of Erza to some degree._

"I'm fine, Erza. Laxus and the Raijinshuu have been wonderful to work with," I said, hoping she'd believe me. She nodded and Gray took her place.

"You don't have to lie, Lucy. If they did something, I don't care how strong they are, I will beat them up for you." I giggled at their overprotectiveness and shook my head.

"Really, it's fine. Like I said, Laxus and everyone have been great." He nodded and opened his mouth to say something when a head of pink hair flew into him. The last thing I heard was Gray yelling 'Flame Brain' before the lacrima shut down. I giggled a little and turned to Laxus.

"So, what happened while I was out. Are the towns people ok?" I asked, worry taking the place of my laughter. Laxus nodded and I let out a sigh of relief. I had been worried that the residents had ended up in that monsters destructive path, and felt useless at how I couldn't prevent it.

"What was that monster anyway?" I asked, looking at Ichigo. He opened his mouth, but closed it when Rukia hit his head. "Ow. What the hell, Rukia?" She ignored his glare and focused on me.

"Before we tell you anything, we need to know how you got that key and how you are able to summon the demon." Her voice was kind, yet held no room for arguments. Laxus began to open his mouth, but I touched his arm and shook my head.

"I will answer your questions, if you answer mine," I stated. She turned to the white haired kid, who nodded. "Okay, first, I think it would be best if we introduced ourselves. My name is Lucy Heartfilia. This blonde idiot is Laxus," he growled at me then nodded his head. "The guy wearing the helmet is Bickslow." Bix did his signature tongue roll. "The polite man is Freed," he looked up, nodded his head then returned to his book. "And the woman in the green is Evergreen." She just smiled and continued to file her nails. Rukia nodded and cleared her throat.

"My name is Rukia. This is Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya," Rukia pointed toward the white haired boy. "This orange head idiot is Ichigo and the red head is Renji, and that deranged man there is Grimmjow," Ichigo and Renji nodded their heads, while Grimmjow sat there watching us, specifically me. _Why is he staring at me?_ I thought, avoiding his gaze.

"Lucy, why is it that you can open that demon's gate?" Rukia started asking, bringing my attention to her.

"I'm a Celestial Spirit Wizard. I'm able to make contracts with Celestial Spirits and use their keys to open their gates that are linked to the Celestial Spirit World." I took my keys off of my belt and laid them on the table. "These are the Gold and Silver keys. The Gold keys are also known as the Zodiac keys and there are only twelve of them in existence. Currently, I have a contract with ten of the Zodiac and five Silver." Rukia held a piece of paper up and a few chuckles spread across the table. I had no idea what she was trying to do, but when she held it up, there was a badly drawn bunny and what looked like bunny shaped keys.

"What the hell is that?" Renji gasped out, as him, Ichigo and Bix continued to laugh.

"It's Lucy and her keys." This only made them laugh harder, making me annoyed. Yes, it was poorly drawn, but it was cute, and they were basically laughing at me. I raised my hand and punched Bix out of his seat while Rukia kicked Ichigo's and Renji's back, pushing their faces into their plates. We looked at each other and smiled sweetly, sending a shiver through the others as we sat back down.

"From what I understand, you are able to make contracts with these spirits and call them out whenever you wish, correct?" Rukia summarized.

"Yes, but in the contract, the spirit tells me when they are available for me to call them. Some spirits will say you can call them anytime, but a few give you days or a time when they don't want to be called. For example, Virgo will come out at anytime, but has requested not to be disturbed from eleven at night to seven in the morning." She nodded and jotted it on her paper.

"Alright. What do you know about the black keys?" Rukia asked. I shook my head.

"All I know is that these keys were summoned by a dark wizard named Zeref who gave them to the first Celestial Wizard, and that the demons inside it personify the Seven Sins. Also, this key belonged to my mother," I answered, gliding a finger over the black key. It started to glow at my touch and a purple light engulfed the room. The demon's light purple eyes scanned the room before resting on me. His face split into a huge grin as he came forward, wrapping his arms around me. After a few seconds, he pulled back a little so only a small amount of space was between us and before I could react, warm, soft lips had connected with mine.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

My eyes widened at the sudden kiss and I stood there, too shocked to move. I saw a bright flash in the corner of my eye and the demon was sent flying once again. Loke stood protectively in front of me with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Don't touch my princess, you demon freak," Loke growled, glaring at the demon who was now standing.

"She's my Demoness, so I can do what I like." They butted heads and the tension between them grew. I finally recovered from my shock and started toward the two spirits. Neither of them was paying attention to me, but everyone else had took a few steps back and continued to watch in amusement. I took a deep breath and 'Lucy Kicked' them both into the wall. They groaned and began to get up when they finally noticed me, their faces paling when they saw how angry I was.

"Just what do you think you idiots are doing?" I demanded, keeping my voice calm. They both gulped and Loke opened his mouth. "I just didn't want him to touch my beautiful princess."

"I'm not yours, Loke. Jeez, I've told you a thousand times now. Don't pop out whenever you feel like it. And you," I turned to the demon who shrunk under my glare. "What the hell made you think you could kiss me?" The demon stood up, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and leaned close to my ear.

"Because I'm in love with you, my Demoness," he whispered huskily. My face felt hot and I knew I was blushing, but it quickly vanished when the demon started cracking up. My body began to tremble from the anger and before he could react, I 'Lucy Kicked' the spirit into the kitchen table. I leaned over him and his face turned paler than it already was.

"I love all my spirits and let them do what they wish because it makes them happy, but what you did is crossing the line." I sighed at the frightened look on his face. "Just don't do it again, okay?" I gently said and gave him a small smile. He looked up at me, confused at the sudden change in my behavior before nodding and smiled back. I held out my hand and pulled him up.

"Now, didn't you say that you'd come back to talk?" I asked, moving over to the couch. The others followed and spread out around the room. Ever and Freed sat beside me while Loke stood behind us. Ichigo, Renji and Rukia took the other couch with Bix sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of their couch, and Toshiro sat in the arm chair. Laxus and Grimmjow had claimed the beds, stretching out, their faces showing they were bored and annoyed. I looked up at my spirit, ready for him to start.

"Well, first, my name is Beelzebub, and I am the demon that personifies the Sin Gluttony." He began, shifting nervously under everyone's gaze. _Maybe he doesn't like talking about himself,_ I thought. I opened my mouth to say something, but Freed beat me to it.

"Beelzebub-san, I heard that the Demon keys aren't from this world. Where are they from and why were they summoned here?" Beelzebub looked relieved at the question and pulled up a chair from the kitchen.

"You're right that our keys aren't from this world, but the other Seven Sins and myself weren't originally keys. We lived in a place you know as Hell."

"What do you mean Hell? I've been to Hell and I never once heard your name," Rukia said.

"You, and three others have been to the first four levels of Hell, right?" Rukia nodded and looked over at Ichigo and Renji, who both leaned closer, listening intently.

"Hell is actually divided into seven levels and each level is ruled by one of the Seven Sins. The levels are in order of the Sins powers, so the core of Hell is the domain of Satan, who is the strongest of us and the leader. You guys went through four levels meaning you went through the Gluttony, Sloth, Envy and Lust domains. You probably never heard of us because each domain is large and we have to take care of all the lost souls in our region, so we can't leave our level longer than five hundred years." Beelzebub explained.

"But you aren't there now," Rukia stated. Beelzebub nodded.

"About four hundred years ago, a man by the name of Zeref was able to summon us and tried to get us to do his bidding. Of course we fought him, but he was too powerful and was able to overcome our attacks. We were weakened by his spells and weren't able to fight anymore. This gave him the opportunity to seal us away in those black keys which made it impossible for us to return to Hell. A few years had gone by and we were summoned from the key by a Celestial Spirit Wizard. We thought that he would be able to help us get back home, but what we didn't know was that he made a deal with Zeref. The deal was if Zeref gave him our keys, then the mage had to help Zeref keep us in this world while he made preparations to descend to Hell. Years went by and our contractor was beginning to change. He didn't have any of the virtues that made us compatible with each other, so our Sins began to take him over until one by one he lost us. We all hid our keys after that and tried to find a way back to Hell, but with no success." His face went through many emotions as he talked and I felt my heart ache at the thought of never being able to return home. _I can't even imagine how I'd feel if I could never return to Fairy Tail again._

I was brought out of my thoughts as Beelzebub continued. "Then about fourteen years ago, a woman by the name of Layla Heartfilia found my key on her land and formed a contract with me. I told her about the other Demon keys and how it was important that we needed to get home. She promised that she would try to help us anyway she could. Two years went by with no luck and then that night happened." He looked at me, his voice become dark and hostile as he continued.

"It was late into the night and I was with you in the library, teaching you about the stars at Layla's request. Your parents had just got done with a business deal and your father stormed into the library. He was fuming because he lost the deal and was taking it out on your mother. Layla was arguing with him that she couldn't agree with him and he began throwing books at her. You were still little then, Lucy, and didn't understand what was going on or why your father was mad, so you did the only thing you thought could help. You came up beside him and hugged him. Your father stopped and glared down at you, but you kept hugging him while Layla was telling him not to touch you. He ignored her though and picked you up by your hair before slinging you across the room. You hit your head over one of the bookcases and fell to the floor unconscious. Your mother became furious with your father and she smacked him before saying that she hated him. Those words caused her to lose my key, and ever since then I've been waiting for someone to find me." By the time he finished, I had tears rolling down my face.

I knew that something had happened between my parents, and now I finally knew why. I can't believe my father had did that to me, even after all that time after mom had died, he didn't lay a hand on me. _After hearing that story and even after all the things he did to me, I still can't bring myself to hate him._

No one said anything as the tears continued to streak my face. Ever pulled me into a hug and I silently cried into her shoulder. A few minutes passed and my silent cries had turned to sniffles as I glanced back at Beelzebub who gave me a small smile. I felt my lips curl up and took a shaky breath. "You said that you needed to get home and that you could only be gone from Hell five hundred years. Why? What happens if you don't return?" I asked, changing the topic.

"If we're gone for more than five hundred years, then Hell will cease to exist." You could hear a pin drop fall in the room by how silent it was. Being the knowledge seeker that he was, Freed was the first to break the silence. "What do you mean Hell will cease to exist? Is that even possible?"

"Yes, it's possible, but it's never been done before. There used to be more demons than the seven of us, but over the course of a thousand years, the demons have been disappearing. With each demon that disappeared, their domain vanished and the souls that were sentenced there, were released into the world. Now that the seven of us are gone and there is no one strong enough to keep the balance, Hell will start to crumble and the doors will be forced to open, allowing all the spirits to be free and create havoc on the world." I felt my eyes widened at this information. I looked around to see similar expressions on everyone's faces, even Laxus and Grimmjow's.

"Why would someone intentionally do this? Why did this Zeref guy summon you to this world?" Toshiro's icy voice questioned.

"There are two reasons. In this world there are people who can summon us and because of the contract, we have to listen to their orders. That is one reason why Zeref summoned us here. If he could get a Celestial Spirit Wizard to own our keys and follow his orders, then he basically has us under his control. As you noticed, we are able to send an aura of our Sin around the key. This aura can affect the person touching the key and can spread from contact with the person. Only the people who have the opposite virtue of the Sin are unaffected and can't spread it, even if they have touched the key. With this under Zeref's command, he could destroy the world without lifting a finger. The second reason is to keep us away from Hell. Zeref wanted to not only destroy the world, but all the souls as well. The only way he could achieve that was if he became the king of Hell. With his power, I'm sure he could balance out the levels of Hell, but something happened, though I'm not sure what, that caused both of these plans to fail."

"What does Zeref want with Hell?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm not sure about that either, but lately I have been feeling a very dark presence and it seems like someone else is after our keys." My body tensed at this and remembered that Gemini had said something earlier about there being a darker presence. Suddenly a picture formed in my head.

 _A man with glasses and short, wavy brown hair and wearing a black robe with a white jacket over it, a sword on his right side. His light brown eyes seemed kind, but I could see an evilness swimming behind his disguise that unnerved me. He smiled down at me and asked, "Does Jude Heartfilia live here?" I slowly nodded, to terrified to speak. Something about the way he smiled and talked had me on edge._

I blinked and the image faded. I looked around, but no one had noticed that I'd zoned out. I sighed then tensed as I felt someone watching me. I turned my head slightly to see Grimmjow's piercing blue gaze directed at me. I avoided looking at him and listened back in on the conversation to find it had diverted from the original topic to Beelzebub and Rukia picking on Ichigo and Renji. I smiled at the jabs and insults that they were exchanging and once again felt a pang in my chest, remembering my team. I cleared my throat and waited until I had their attention before I spoke. "I don't mean to ruin your insult fight, but Beelzebub, I have a question."

"Of course, my Demoness, ask anything you wish." He replied, his full attention now focused on me.

"You mentioned that you felt a dark presence lately, right? Well, do you have any idea who it is?" I asked. His face hardened a little and he gave a sharp nod.

"Does this person have short, wavy brown hair, brown eyes, and is wearing the same thing as Toshiro?" I hesitantly asked, hoping I was wrong.

"Yes, he does. How did you know that?" Beelzebub asked, shock written on his face.

"I'm not sure, but I..I had a picture form in my head. Like I was remembering something. This person, whoever he is, was asking for my father. Do you know who it is?" I questioned. Beelzebub was silent for a few minutes, his eyes jumping to the Shinigami's before sighing. "His name is Sosuke Aizen. A former Shinigami captain."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I'm really glad you like it and I'll try to update more often. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but there will be some action in the next chapter with two Arrancar. I know its been a long wait, but here is the next chapter. Enjoy:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

"Aizen!?" Ichigo yelled, shooting out of his seat. The rest of the Shinigami's had shock written all over their faces, even Toshiro and Grimmjow, who was now sitting up on the bed, listening intently.

"Who is this Aizen?" Laxus's gruff voice sounded from the other bed.

"He's a dangerous, manipulative, cunning bastard who tried to overthrow the Gotei 13 and Soul Society," Renji answered. My head was spinning from these names I've never heard of.

"Can you please explain from the beginning? " I asked.

"Soul Society is a place where people's souls who had died go to. The Gotei 13 are the Shinigami's that protect Soul Society and Seireitei, which is where we live," Rukia began to explain as she put a sword on the table. "Each Shinigami has a Zanpakuto which is a sword that reflects a Shinigami's spiritual power, and that gives the sword it's shape and abilities. Since a Zanpakuto comes from a Shinigami's soul, it is able to have a mind and body of it's own. The higher ranked Shinigami's have names for their Zanpakuto and all Zanpakuto have two forms, Shikai and Bankai. If a Shinigami knows the name of their Zanpakuto, they can call it and release it's Shikai form. Not many Shinigami's can perform Bankai, only the captains can. A few high ranked Shinigami's have been able to release their Bankai, Ichigo and Renji being two of them." Rukia finished explaining. We sat in silence as everyone mulled over this when something clicked in my mind.

"Your Zanpakuto is just like my magic," I stated, causing everyone to give me confused looks. I rolled my eyes and clarified.

"The Zanpakuto is only as strong as it's Shinigami, right?" Rukia nodded. "They rely on your power to be able to perform their own attacks, but still maintain a mind and body of it's own. My spirits rely on my magic when I call them out and are only as strong as I am and also have their own mind and body. Each Zanpakuto has a different ability, correct?" She nodded again. "So do my spirits. None of their power is the same and the Zodiac's only have one key in existence, just like there is only one Zanpakuto in existence. The only difference is that your Zanpakuto is born within you while my spirits aren't, but in a way we're still connected as one." Understanding dawned on the Raijinshuu's and Laxus's faces as they found something to connect the information to.

"Can you tell us who this Aizen is now?" I asked, growing impatient.

"I will, but I need to explain a few other things as well," Rukia said, placing a piece of paper on the table. She started drawing rabbits again, making it hard for me to understand what she was getting at.

"I need to report this to Soul Society," Toshiro said as he stood up and left the room.

"Okay. First off Hollows are creatures that are made from Human souls that stay in the Human World too long. When a soul becomes a Hollow, they lose all reason and only live to devour souls. When their not in the Human World they're in Hueco Mundo, a desolate desert that is always nighttime. All Hollows look different, but the one thing they have in common is the white mask covering their faces, which is formed by the hearts that they lost. They also have a hole on their body where their heart was carved out during the transformation. Hollows can be saved or purified by a Zanpakuto and sent to Soul Society in their original soul." She illustrated this by rabbit turning into a weird looking creature, then a Shinigami rabbit stabbing the Hollow before turning back into a soul and disappearing.

"The Hollow that you saw earlier was a Menos, which is an evolved form of Hollow. There are three types of Menos, the Gillian, the one you saw, is made up of thousands of smaller hollows and is considered low-class. Adjuchas are the second-class and are smarter and stronger than a Gillian. The last class is Vasto Lorde. This type of Menos is rare, but is more stronger than a Gillian or Adjuchas." Rukia paused to let us go over the information. So a Human Soul turns into a Hollow by having the heart carved out to be replaced by a hole and turned into a mask. For some reason I looked over a Grimmjow, who was still staring at me, and studied him for a minute. _He has a hole and a partial white mask, but he also has a Zanpakuto. Could he have been a Hollow before?_

"Before I tell you about Aizen, you need to understand the system of the Gotei 13. There are thirteen divisions in the Gotei 13. Each division has a captain, lieutenant and eighteen seated officers. Though each division has a captain, all the captains listen to the command of the Captain-Commander, who is also the captain of the first division. Some divisions specialize in a specific category. For example, the 4th division specializes in healing and the 12th division specializes in research." I noticed Ichigo and Renji shiver and pale at the mention of the 12th division.

"Aizen used to be the captain of the 5th division before he betrayed Soul Society and left for Hueco Mundo. For years Aizen had been secretly experimenting on Shinigami and the citizens of Soul Society, trying to make a race of Shinigami and Hollow. He wanted to give Shinigami Hollow powers and give Hollows Shinigami powers, and he succeeded. About a 110 years ago, a few captains and lieutenants were ordered to investigate the disappearance of souls throughout Soul Society. Aizen found them and forced them to undergo Hollowfication, which is inserting a Hollow's soul into a normal soul." I noticed Ichigo's face pale a little and the slight shake of his shoulders.

"Luckily, another former captain, Kisuke Urahara, found them and tried to reverse the damage. He was able to stabilize their souls, but the Hollowfication remained. Kisuke was framed for the incident and fled to the Human World. Aizen had succeeded in giving Shinigami's Hollow powers, but he wasn't satisfied. He still experimented until he found a way to give Hollows Shinigami powers by removing the Hollow's mask and giving them a Zanpakuto, but it only worked on Vasto Lorde's. Aizen named this new race Arrancar. The Arrancar's are able to use a Zanpakuto and are numbered by their reiatsu. The Arrancar's who have a number one through ten are called Espada and are the leader of their division. This happened to Grimmjow, who was the Sexta Espada before he came to Soul Society." I looked over at Grimmjow. He was laid back on the bed with his eyes closed, but I could see the stiffness in his shoulders and knew he was following the conversation.

"The Gotei 13 had been preparing for a war, but three years ago Aizen disappeared from the face of the Earth. The Arrancar separated and went their different ways, a few even joining the Gotei 13. Recently though, our Research and Development division had been getting readings of a powerful spiritual presence. They believe it to be Aizen, but it keeps getting blocked by another powerful presence, which turned out to be those black keys. Our group has been sent to collect these keys while looking for Aizen." Rukia finished.

Freed's pen scraping over paper was the only sound that filled the silent room. I looked over to see his notepad filled with notes, even the margins were filled with words. He was in the middle of underlining something when his pen suddenly stopped.

"Rukia-san, if Aizen is the one after these keys, how will he summon them? Does he have that ability?" Freed asked, all curiosity gone from his voice.

"No, he does not have that ability. If anything, he'll command someone who can to do it," Rukia answered. Everyone's heads snapped up at the same time, their attention directed at me as they realized where the conversation was going.

"I-I doubt he'll come for me. I mean, I'm not that strong anyway..." My voice trailed off as nervousness welled up in me at the thought of being used as a tool to destroy the world again. It doesn't seem as though the Infinity Clock crisis was that long ago.

"That's why we have been ordered to protect her," a deep voice sounded from the door. We turned to see Toshiro walking back into the room and sit in the seat he previously occupied.

"The Commander ordered us to protect Lucy under the condition that she finds the rest of the keys before Aizen. He also said that he will send more people to back us up in a few days. Apparently, they need Urahara's help to reopen the portal." I felt the gazes of the Shinigami's on me, looking at me expectantly. I gulped and looked over to Beelzebub who hadn't said a word the entire time.

"My mom was helping you find a way back home, right?" Beelzebub nodded slightly. I nodded back and turned to Toshiro, determination swirling in me.

"I promise that I'll find all the Demon keys. The Demons need to get home and I'll need your help to find a way. I don't want Aizen to get a hold of these keys, but the well-being of my spirits come first." Toshiro nodded and Beelzebub looked at me in surprise. I noticed his body relax, all the tension in his shoulders vanishing as he gave me a small smile.

"Thank you, Demoness," He whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear.

"You're welcome. Now then, why don't we take you guys to our guild. It's about time we got home anyway, I'm sure everyone's worried and we need to explain all this to Master," I suggested as I stood up. I was about to call Virgo out to store our luggage, when a large black hole appeared beside me. Two men emerged from the darkness and the smaller one surveyed the room before his bright green eyes landed on me.

"Yammy," he spoke, his voice emotionless. The larger man nodded and began to advance toward me.

"What are-" was all I could say as large brown hands closed around me and pulled me into the abyss.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I'm really glad you like it and I'll try to update more often. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but there will be some action in the next chapter with two Arrancar. I know its been a long wait, but here is the next chapter. Enjoy:)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Lucy!" I heard my name being called as the darkness closed around me, the only light being the path that just lit up under our feet. I struggled to get out of the large man's iron grip as I staggered beside him, but his grip tightened every time I moved, crushing me.

"If you keep moving bimbo, I'll kill you." He began laughing and it sounded as if it was echoing around us.

"Let go of me, you bastard," I growled out. His hands squeezed me tighter and my vision started to go black from the pain. I heard him snickering and saw him raise his other hand, but before he could do anything, the other man stopped him.

"Yammy, you do not want to anger Aizen by destroying his possessions." His emotionless voice stated. His indifferent face stared at the large man whose hand loosened as his attention was directed elsewhere.

"I don't give a fuck what Aizen wants this piece of trash for. I'm just having fun with her before we hand her over. Maybe make her scream in pain a few times." He smirked at me as my body tensed.

"What does Aizen want with me?" I asked, able to see normally again. Yammy glared at me before bringing our faces uncomfortable close. I barely held back a choking noise as his nasty breath wafted over me.

"He wants those keys. He needs someone who can command those stupid spirits to obey his orders and he picked your trashy ass for the job. Oh, I would just love to crush those weak trashy spirits under my hand and hear them cry out in pain as I break every bone in their body."

Rage began to fill me at the thought of my spirits at the mercy of this man. "I will not let that deranged monster have those keys. I refuse to work for him and he'll regret wanting them for his stupid war after I'm through with him. So you can let go now and deliver that message because I'm not moving another step," I seethed. _What is it with these damn Arrancars and wanting to make me angry by attacking my spirits?_ I thought angrily.

I dug my heels into the ground to stop myself from moving, but it was to no affect as Yammy jerked me forward. I cried out in pain as I felt my shoulder pop out of place and held in my tears when I saw the smirk on his face. I gritted my teeth against the pain and twisted my arm, but his grip tightened again. The pain was becoming unbearable, but I continued to fight against the hold that was crushing my arm. Tears pricked my eyes and it took everything I had to keep them from falling. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry in pain. I tried pulling my arm back, making it feel like we were having a tug-of-war, and I was losing.

The pain was increasing and I was about to give in when I gave one last tug. Yammy decided to let go of my arm at that moment, and I was sent tumbling backwards toward the edge of the path. My foot slipped off the side and I began to fall when a strong arm wrapped around me and pulled me back. I saw a part of a white jacket and instantly knew it was Grimmjow that had saved me. I clung to him as he brought me toward the middle of the path, then he pushed me behind him.

"Stay here and don't move," he said and turned to face the two Arrancar. I saw movement from my right and turned to see Ichigo step up beside Grimmjow. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and glanced up to see Renji looking down at me with a serious expression. Rukia and Toshiro came up behind Ichigo as Renji stayed on my left, his hand holding me in case he had to push me back.

"What are you doing here, Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow spat out, glaring at the brooding man. I was finally able to get a good look at him and noticed how his messy black hair and dark green eyes stood out against his pale white skin and clothes. Half of his hair was covered by his mask which looked like a broken helmet with his hole being at the bottom of his throat. What struck me as unusual was the green lines running down the bottom of his eyes, almost as if the greens of his eyes were staining his face.

"I am simply following Aizen's orders. He wanted the girl and ordered us to retrieve her. That is all." His voice sounded uninterested as he continued to stare at Grimmjow.

"What does Aizen want with Lucy?" Ichigo demanded.

"It would seem that the girl's father made a deal with Aizen and promised him that he could have the girl and the keys," Ulquiorra replied. My blood froze as the words left his mouth. My father and I weren't on good terms for years, but would he really give me away to someone just like that? Did he make the deal just to increase his fortune? I wanted to say that wasn't true, but a small part of me knew he would do exactly that. All of a sudden I started laughing. I couldn't help it, it was just too funny not to. Now I knew how much I meant to my father. I had really thought we could fix our relationship, but it was probably just a lie to hand me over to Aizen. My laughing startled the others who looked at me like I had lost my mind.

"My father making a deal like that doesn't surprise me," I said, answering the question on their faces. "It really is like him to sell me off to increase his fortune. I mean he did try to force me into an arranged marriage just to expand his company. Hell, he even said that I had to give birth to a son, that way there will be an heir to the company." I gave a slight chuckle then put on my scariest Erza face. "But I meant what I said. You can tell your _precious_ Aizen to fuck off and leave me the hell alone because I am never, and I mean never going to join him or let him abuse the Demon keys." I stepped up between Grimmjow and Ichigo. I wanted to do nothing but run away, yet I swallowed the fear and held my head high as I addressed the two men.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt, but I will warn you. I'll fight against you, Aizen or any Hollow that tries to hurt my spirits or my friends. There is no place on Hell, Earthland, or in your world that will keep me from finding and destroying you." My voice had gone dark at the end as I threw in a little threat.

"What can a little piece of trash like you do? Trying to threaten us when you're nothing but a tiny insect compared to me." Yammy laughed as I glared at him, then smiled sweetly.

"Just so you know, Yammy. I don't like making threats, but I do make promises and a Celestial Mage always keeps her promise," I said, stressing the word always. He looked back at me with a look of death as he took a step forward. Ichigo pushed me back before drawing his sword while the others drew theirs. Yammy's muscles tensed, ready to attack, but Ulquiorra held his hand out, stopping him.

"I'd rather not bring her to Aizen damaged." He turned to look at us. "You are free to go, but Aizen will come for her again knowing she's the one." With that he turned and walked down the path that he was creating. I watched their retreating backs grow smaller until they were out of sight. I fell to ground, sighing in relief and felt the others relax around me. I heard a light chuckle and looked up to see Grimmjow laughing, a wide grin on his face.

"Damn, Blaze. Didn't know you had it in you? You have some pretty big balls to want too piss off Yammy," his chuckling turned into full on laughter, causing the last bit of tension to leave my body and I started laughing with him.

"Yeah, well, I have a habit of attracting trouble. I hope you you're ready to fight cause you'll get a lot of it if you keep hanging around me," I replied, grinning up at him. His face lit up as he held a hand out to me and I gratefully took it. He pulled me up and I turned to see surprised faces staring at us.

"Uh, are you guys alright?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably under the gazes.

"Yeah, everything's just fine," Renji said, shaking his head and looking away.

"Right. Okay. Uh, where's Laxus and the others?" I asked, not seeing them around.

"For some reason when Grimmjow opened the Garganta, your friends weren't able to enter. Yet you were able to," Toshiro answered, curiosity in his gaze as he looked at me.

"We'll figure this out later. For now we should get Lucy back to the others and leave this place," Rukia said then turned to look at me. "You said something about a guild? What is that?"

"Yeah, it's a place where mages join and do jobs from clients. Mages with all kinds of powers can join any guild. In the guild the mages do requests or missions from clients to earn money. Sometimes we even make alliances if we're going up against a powerful enemy. When you join a guild, you receive a stamp of the guild's symbol on any part of your body in any color." I held up my hand to show my pink Fairy Tail symbol. "The guild we'll be going to is Fairy Tail." I smiled a little as I mentioned Fairy Tail.

Rukia nodded and began walking, the others following. As we walked, silence fell over us and I began thinking over what happened. _It shouldn't surprise me that my father would make a deal like that, but it doesn't make the hurt any less painful._ Ulquiorra's last words came back to me. _What did he mean by 'the one?' Was this some sort of test? Does this mean that Aizen has been looking for me this whole time? Or had he already found me and was waiting for the right time to move?_

My eyes widened at that thought and I shivered as fear began coursing through me. I felt a hand land on my shoulder and looked up to see Ichigo looking down at me, a confident smile on his face. I relaxed a little and took a deep breath as I looked at the backs of the others, their power and strength surrounding me, giving me comfort knowing that I wasn't alone. I felt eyes looking at me and glanced around to see Grimmjow's glowing blue eyes watching me. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a panicked voice.

"Lucy! Thank God! You're alright. I was so worried and scared, especially since we couldn't get through," Evergreen's worried face was looking at me as we came to the end of the darkness, tackling me in a hug as I came through. I hissed as the pain from my arm shot through me.

"You're hurt," Ever said, taking my arm and moving it a little. A small whimper left my lips as Ever let go of my arm as gently as she could.

"It's fine. I'll call Virgo to fix it and have Wendy look at it when we get to the guild," I said just as puff of pink smoke filled the room.

"I heard you what you said Hime. I have brought supplies. Punishment, Hime?" Virgo said. The Shinigami's blanched at her words, but I ignored them.

"No, no punishment. Can you set my arm for me?" I asked. She nodded and stepped forward. She took my arm and quickly popped my arm back in place. I held back a cry as my eyes teared up at the pain as Virgo began bandaging my arm.

"Thank you, Virgo. You can go back now." She nodded and disappeared.

"Sorry for worrying you, Ever," I said, feeling guilty over how much I scared and worried her the past few days.

"It's not your fault Lucy, but I am going to stick close to you so I won't have to worry so much," she replied, giving me a look that said 'no-amount-of-complaining-is-going-to-stop-me.' I sighed and smiled at her, giving in, knowing I wouldn't able to stop her. I felt a hand land on my head and looked into Laxus's stormy gaze.

"I'm fine, Laxus," I said, trying to reassure him. He nodded but didn't look convinced.

"Ever isn't the only one sticking close to you. Now that you have these annoying Espa-fuckers, whatever the hell they are, after you, I'm not letting you out of my sight." Freed and Bickslow nodding behind him.

"We should head to your guild. Now that Aizen has found Lucy, we're going to need more people to protect her, at least until Soul Society can send more Shinigami's," Rukia said. We all nodded and began to follow when Laxus picked me up in his arms, keeping my injured arm on the outside.

"What-" I began, but Laxus cut me off.

"Just in case those Arrancar bastard's decide to appear again, I want you near me so I can protect you," he said as he glared at Grimmjow.

"What the hell you looking at Scar face?" Grimmjow growled, glaring back.

"You used to be one of Aizen's lackeys, Psycho. You could be giving out information to rise up in rank." His lightning began to spark.

"Why the hell would I want to do that, Sparky? I'd rather protect the girl and those stupid keys than listen to a man who wants to start a war that I have no part of." Grimmjow turned to face Laxus, eyes glaring at each other as the tension between them increased.

"Stop it, Laxus," I demanded, squirming in his arms. He gently set me down before turning back to Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow came to save me when you couldn't and I don't believe he's the kind of man that would betray anyone to get a higher position. I trust him and that's all that matters right now. Besides, you shouldn't judge someone for their past, I figured you knew that," I berated him, trying to diffuse the situation. They glared over my head a few more minutes before Laxus stepped down.

"I'm only doing this for Lucy because she seems to trust you for some unknown fucking reason. But I still don't trust you and if you do anything to hurt her or I find that you are working with Aizen, I will fry your ass until your body is unrecognizable," Laxus threatened.

"You can try," Grimmjow muttered under his breath as he turned away. I let out a sigh as they stopped the arguing, but couldn't help feeling disappointed that they couldn't trust each other. _I guess people who think and act alike are harder to trust._

"Now that the two idiots are calmed down, we really need to get going. I'm getting a bad feeling that we shouldn't be here any longer," Ever said, shivering. I nodded as we left the Mayor's house. We made it to the train station without incident except for some glaring from Laxus and Grimmjow and the occasional insult slipping out.

We managed to find a booth big enough for our large group as we boarded the train and I somehow got stuck between Laxus and Grimmjow. After a few minutes of getting comfortable, Freed and Ichigo ended up sitting on the other side of Laxus and Grimmjow while the others sat across from us. Exhaustion began to take over as I sat down and my body began to relax from all the stress of the day. I heard someone snickering as I leaned against something warm, closing my eyes and letting sleep claim me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

I felt something pushing me to the side and reluctantly opened my sleeping eyes to see a pair of blue ones glaring down at me.

"Chick. Get your damn head off of me," Grimmjow's deep voice growled at me while Bix, Ichigo and Renji were doing their best not to laugh. That's when I realized that my body was firmly pressed against Grimmjow's side, my arm wrapped around his and my head barely laying on his shoulder. My face began to burn from the blush that was spreading as I untangled our arms and slid over toward Laxus, trying to put some distance between us.

"Did you sleep well, Lucy?" Ever asked, giggling at me. I glared at her which only caused her to laugh more.

"I never thought that I'd see someone use Grimmjow as a pillow," Ichigo added, grinning at me. I huffed and looked away, feeling my face begin to burn again.

"Will you guys shut the fuck up," Laxus growled out, though it was less threatening than usual. Must be his motion sickness, I thought taking pity on him and reached up, running my hands through his blonde hair. He smiled gratefully at me, the paleness fading a little from his face. I smiled back and turned to see confusion on the Shinigami's faces, but ignored them.

"How much longer do we have?" I asked, looking out the window and seeing familiar terrain.

"About twenty minutes," Freed answered, looking up from his book. I nodded and leaned back, my mind wandering over the things that happened.

 _I never would have thought that the Seven Sins were real, let alone have a key. I can't believe that Zeref created and forced them to be bound to a key. I knew he was cruel, but to do that, ugh I can't even think about it. And what does he want with Hell anyway? No offense to Beelzebub, but I don't think anyone wants to visit that place. And if what Beelzebub said was true, then Hell is close to disappearing forever and now we have to deal with these Shinigami's who just appeared out of nowhere saying that they were ordered to protect these keys and find this Aizen person._ I sighed. It was just too much to handle at the moment.

My mind drifted to what Beelzebub had told me about my mother, and I felt my chest clench at the thought. I _can't think about that right now,_ I mentally scolded myself, shaking my head a little. _Right now I need to focus on finding the other keys and helping them get home. I made a promise and a Celestial Wizard never breaks their promise._ I kept telling myself this, yet there was a voice in the back of my mind telling me that I couldn't do it and I began to feel hopeless.

 _Your mother couldn't keep her promise to get them home. What makes you think you can?_ The voice asked and I was suddenly filled with the feeling of fear. My body began shaking as I started to sweat and my vision became blurry. _You are too weak to help anyone. You can't even save your friends when they need you. You're a pathetic excuse for a mage._ I hunched over as the terror intensified and I flinched when I felt multiple hands touching my back.

A bright light filled the room and the hands disappeared only to be replaced by two arms that wrapped around my body. A deep voice vibrated through my body and I relaxed as the feelings dissipated. _You will be mine,_ the voice said before vanishing. I clung to the person holding me, trying to calm my racing heart. A few minutes passed as I felt my breathing return to normal before glancing up to see concerned light violet eyes staring at me.

"Are you alright, Demoness?" Beelzebub asked. I nodded and pulled back out of his arms to see more concerned looks directed at me.

"I'm fine everyone." I smiled, though the terrified feeling still lingered in my chest.

"What happened, Lucy?" Ever asked, all amusement from earlier gone from her face.

"I'm not sure. I was just thinking about some things when I suddenly felt hopeless and terrified. I have been scared before, but not on the scale that this was and then there was a voice saying that I was weak and pathetic; that I couldn't even save my friends when they needed me." I choked back a sob as I felt tears push at my eyes. _What if the voice was right? That everyone around me is going to die because I'm not strong enough._ Arms suddenly surrounded me and I leaned into the familiar and comforting warmth that Laxus provided.

"You are no where near weak or pathetic, Lucy. I may not know a lot about Celestial Magic, but I do know that it requires a lot of magic to open one gate, let alone keeping a constant flow of magic to keep their gate open and supple them with magic. Your physical power may not be high, but you have a lot of other strengths that balance it out, and if anything, you're one of the strongest people in Fairy Tail. You have saved our asses more times than I can count and there's not many people who can put up with the stuff you've been through and come out smiling. Don't ever think you are a burden," Laxus said, somehow making my fear vanish and I nodded. _That still doesn't explain the voice though._

"Wow. Didn't know the Sparkplug was so soft," Grimmjow mocked as he turned to Laxus who glared back.

"Beel-" I started, sitting up, but was blocked out by Laxus.

"Well, I never pegged you for a pillow, Psycho Cat,"

"Can you explain what j-" I tried again, but was cut off as Grimmjow shouted, "I am not a cat, Thunder Ass!"

"Really now? You are being quite defensive about it, Kitty," Laxus egged on, smirking, causing Grimmjow to growl. Everyone was too busy looking back and forth between the two men to notice the angry blonde sitting in the middle, that is, until she grabbed both men by their ears and knocked their heads together.

"Fuck!" "What the hell!" they yelled simultaneously before clamping their mouths shut when they saw how pissed off I was.

"Can you two shut it for five freaking minutes. I have been trying to ask Beelzebub something, but I keep getting interrupted by your 'who-can-come-up-with-the-best-insult' game. Geez, you two are just as bad as Natsu and Gray," I scolded them, my anger fading as I took a deep breath. "Just sit here and keep your mouths shut. Got it?" Grimmjow cursed under his breath while Laxus started mumbling about 'Demon Lucy' as they sat up in their seats, ignoring the others who were snickering at them. I sighed again and turned to Beelzebub who seemed amused by the situation.

"Now, as I have been trying to ask. What exactly happened to me?" His face became serious as he sat on the floor in front of me, a hand running through his purple hair.

"You said you felt hopeless and terrified, right?" I nodded. "Did it seem as if the terror and hopelessness were connected to each other?"

"I felt the hopelessness before the fear, but I don't think they were connected. The hopeless feeling faded after I heard the voice," I said, thinking back on it as Beelzebub sighed in relief, "That's good."

"How is that good?" I asked, confused. _I'd rather not feel either of those._

"Because, that hopeless feeling you had was the Sin of Sloth calling out to you." I blinked a few times, even more confused. _I know a spirit will call out to a mage to find their key, but I didn't think that would apply to the Demon Keys, too._

"The Sloth's sin is hopelessness and makes a person feel hopeless about anything they do. Since he called out to you, he must think you have his virtue, which is having faith." Suddenly, Ever and Bix started laughing while Freed had a small smile on his face as they looked at us.

"What's so funny?" Renji asked, his eyes darting between the three mages.

"Nothing. Its just that, no one can have more faith than Lucy. There have been many times when we'd be fighting and on the verge of giving up, but Lucy always had faith that we'd win, no matter what. I even heard Happy saying once that Lucy jumped out of a tower, believing that Natsu would be at the bottom to catch her," Freed explained and Ever nodded.

"During the Grand Magic Games, when Natsu was fighting the Sabertooth Dragon Slayers, she believed that Natsu would win without a doubt," Ever smiled at me and I felt my face flush at the praises.

"I'm not that great," I mumbled quietly, but Laxus heard me anyway, nudging my shoulder with a look on his face that said otherwise.

"I knew my Demoness was amazing," Beelzebub claimed, voice filled with pride.

"A-anyway, what do I need to do about the Sloth's key?" I stuttered, feeling embarrassed.

"Right. You should feel a stronger pull toward the key once we get off the train and it should lead you to him," Beelzebub said just as the train came to a stop and the conductors voice sounded overhead. _'We have arrived in Magnolia. Please make sure you have all your luggage and depart the train.'_

We quickly got off the train and I felt the pull toward the east side of the station. I started to follow the feeling as I heard the others footsteps behind me. We exited the station and walked onto a worn-out dirt path surrounded by nothing but brush and trees. We continued walking down the path until we came to a clearing that had a huge willow tree right in the middle. Its large roots were sticking out of the ground, almost as a protective barrier with its long green limbs that were barely grazing the ground, creating an illusionary curtain. My feet moved forward on instinct as I let the magical pull guide me, but forced myself to stop in front of the green veil.

"It might be best if you guys stay out here," I told the others and held my hand up when some were about to protest.

"Beelzebub said that people without the opposite virtue of the sin will be affected. I'd rather not have any of you act like they did in Foss. I'll be alright, and besides I'll have Beelzebub with me." They all nodded, but the look in their eyes said they rather not, though Laxus looked like he would come anyway, despite what I said.

"Laxus, please?" I barely whispered, yet I knew he heard me as he reluctantly nodded. I glanced over at Beelzebub, who had stayed beside me the whole time, and took a deep breath. Brushing aside the wispy limbs, I gasped at the beautiful scene before me.

The ground that couldn't be seen from the outside was as white as snow with a faint light blue line leading up to the thick brown trunk, a small dark hole in the center. My feet pulled me toward it until I saw a shining black key in the hollow and gently picked it up. _It's different from Beelzebub's key,_ I thought observing the simple design carved on it. The symbol was a large white circle surrounding a smaller light blue circle that reached halfway to the larger one's center, both of them connecting together at the bottom. Just like with Beelzebub, the key instantly warmed up at my touch, almost as if it was ready to be summoned.

"Go ahead, Demoness. I can feel that he is eager to meet you," Beelzebub said and I nodded, turning away from the trunk and pointed the key toward the entrance.

"Open, Demon Gate, Sloth!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! It may seem weird that I have updated twice in one week, but I am trying to make up for all the time I made you guys wait. I will do my best to make sure that it doesn't happen again, but just in case it does, please remember that I have ABSOLUTELY NOT given up on this story. I plan to keep writing it until it is finished. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful reviews and here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

A grey smoke filled the small area but quickly vanished, revealing a man with stunning silver hair that reached below his ears and a few strands hanging between his eyes. His light tan skin glowed under his hair and seemed to stand out more against the black jacket that he had zipped up halfway with the sleeves reaching to the middle of his hands. A little bit of his black shirt was peeking out from underneath the jacket and dark blue jeans that hung tightly to his legs. A spiked choker necklace hung around his neck with a longer silver skull necklace laying against his chest. His eyes that had been closed previously were now open, a hypnotic, ice blue color, filled with hostility stared at me.

"I wondered why my key started reacting, and to think it was to call out to another selfish wizard. Pathetic," his cold voice cut through me. Before I could respond, his eyes flickered in surprise as they drifted over to the demon behind me. "Beelzebub, I was not aware that you had been contracted again," was all he said, masking his earlier surprise.

"Actually, I haven't been contracted yet," Beelzebub replied, rubbing the back of his neck. My eyes widened in surprise as what he just said registered in my head. _Stupid, Lucy! You had his key this whole time and forgot to make a contract. What kind of Celestial Wizard are you?_ I scolded myself, turning to the purple-haired demon.

"I am so sorry, Beelzebub," I apologized, earning a surprised look from the other demon.

"Huh? It's fine, Demoness. A lot of things happened, so it was understandable for you to forget."

"It's not fine! It is rude and disrespectful for a Celestial Wizard to keep a spirit waiting, and I'll understand if you do not wish to be contracted to me."

"Ah, that's too bad. I would still like to be contracted to you, my beautiful Demoness," he said, his face softening into a small smile.

"Really?" I asked, feeling relieved as he nodded. "Then I would love to," I beamed at him and took out my notebook. "So what days are you available and what kind of magic do you use?"

"I am available anytime you need me and I am able to use Poison Magic. My magic is able to detect any type of poison in a five mile radius and I can remove any type of poison from objects or human beings. I am also able to transform into my Demon Form which enhances my magic, strength, and senses, which you saw a few days ago." I nodded, remembering the difference between his Demon Form and his regular appearance.

"Welcome to the family, Beelzebub," I said, smiling, then turned to the other demon.

"Would you like to make a contract with me?" I asked him, earning another surprised look.

"You're giving me a choice?" The hostility from earlier was gone and was replaced with disbelief.

"Of course. I give all the sprits I meet a choice. I won't force them into a contract, not like most mages do. Spirits are like humans, they have their own personalities and feelings, including you demons. So forcing you guys to do something against your will, it just feels wrong to me and I will not do it," I told him.

"So what do you do if a spirit doesn't contract with you?"

"I will keep their key until I find someone who is worthy and will take care of the spirit bound to it. I know another Celestial Wizard who loves her spirits just as much as I do, and I know she would take care of you if you wish to go to her."

"But then you wouldn't have all the demons," he said suspiciously, his face shutting down as if expecting this to be a trick.

"I don't care about that. All I care about is the happiness and well-being of a spirit. If you wish to remain uncontracted at the moment and want to think over what I have said, you may go ahead and do what you need to," I suggested, trying to get him to understand that I don't want him to feel pressured to make a decision right then.

Suddenly, his face contorted in pain and he fell to one knee, clutching his head. Beelzebub placed a hand on my arm, trying to hold me back, but I shook it off and ran over to the hurting demon, worriedly searching him over for injuries. I had barely placed a hand on his shoulder when I was suddenly blasted with a gust of wind. I flew threw the tree limbs and into a hard body, continuing to fly across the clearing before landing on our backs. I groaned as I sat up, shivering from the cold blast and sore from whoever I crashed into.

"What the hell?" a voice sounded close to my ear and I turned to see familiar blue hair. Grimmjow started rubbing his head as he looked at me, eyes widening as he saw me before his mouth turned into a smirk.

"Damn, Blaze. I knew you wanted me, but you didn't have to fly into me. All you had to do was ask." He started laughing as I glared at him and was about to retort when the others came running up to us.

"Lucy, are you alright? What happened?" Ever started questioning me when Beelzebub appeared, helping me up.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine, but what happened?" I asked just as another wave of cold wind blew through the clearing and the other demon emerged, his appearance changing. His shaggy silver hair was now spiked around his head with yellow streaks running through it and his blue eyes had turned completely white. His clothes had also turned white with the jacket now hanging open, white glowing lines appearing along his arms and chest, slowly continuing up toward his face.

"Shit," Beelzebub cursed under his breath, his eyes wide before he quickly covered me when another gust of wind blew over us.

"What's going on?!" I shouted over the howling wind, the others doing their best to take cover.

"Belphegor is loosing control. We need to get him back before he starts destroying this place," Beelzebub yelled back as everything abruptly stopped and turned to see Belphegor's head bowed, an immense amount of magical pressure flowing through the air around us. Laxus and the others instantly moved into a fighting position, ready to attack.

"No! No one is to fight him!" I yelled at them causing them to look at me in confusion.

"But Lucy, he's the one that attacked you," Ichigo said, suddenly not sure what to do.

"Yes he did, but it wasn't intentional. I have no idea what is going on, but I will not allow any of you to hurt him." I stood between them and the demon, hoping that I wouldn't have to fight them over this.

"Please, Laxus. This is between the spirit and a Celestial Mage. You can't interfere," I pleaded, willing him to understand. After a few minutes Laxus and the Raijinshuu stepped down, knowing this is something I have to do alone. The others slowly lowered their swords, still unsure, but choosing trust the situation to me.

"I'm not giving up this chance to fight someone this strong," Grimmjow said before launching forward. He made it halfway, sword raised, when a blur of white and black cut in front of him, metal colliding with metal echoing through the air.

"Stand down, Grimmjow," Toshiro's frosty voice commanded as Ichigo pushed against Grimmjow's sword, but the blue-haired man continued to fight back. Fearing for the safety of my spirit, I moved toward the deranged Arrancar and placed a hand on his arm.

"Grimmjow, please," I pleaded quietly. He glared down at me, not moving even as Ichigo continued to push against his. Suddenly his expression changed and I was moved across the clearing just in time to avoid a razor sharp slice of wind that had cut the grass where we were just standing into tiny pieces.

"I'll let it go just this once, but you owe me a fight, Blaze," Grimmjow's voice whispered into my neck. He had an arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly against his chest, his face brushing against my neck as his warm breath ghosted over my flushed skin. I nodded, too flustered to speak. His arm slightly loosened and I slid down his body to stand on the ground. I started to move forward, but Grimmjow's arm was still wrapped around me, holding me in place.

"Grimmjow," I quietly said, startling him as he realized he still had a hold on me. He quickly let go and turned away from me, clenching his fists and avoiding eye contact. _That's cute. Wait? What?_ I shook my head. _Not the time to be thinking that, Lucy._ I turned my attention back to the situation at hand.

"Lucy," Beelzebub said quietly, not taking his eyes off the white demon. "You need to take everyone and leave. With Belphegor like this, it's too dangerous for you to be here." I looked at him, and noticed that his body was tense, eyes darting around nervously.

"Beelzebub, what is going on?" I demanded, needing to know.

"I can't explain right now, but you have to leave. Please," he begged not looking at me, but his voice sounding desperate. I looked back at Belphegor, his glowing white eyes were watching our every move, when I saw something blue flash through his eyes, his mouth moving ever so slightly. The words, _Get away,_ entered my mind and my eyes widened as I realized that they came from spirit in front of us.

"I'm sorry, Beelzebub, but I'm not leaving. I can't. Belphegor is suffering and he needs help," I said, taking my whip and flickering it toward the tree where it wrapped around a limb. I tugged on it before it retracted itself, pulling me closer to the out-of-control demon, ignoring the people yelling at me to stop. The wind started blowing furiously and I winced in pain as I felt my skin being cut from its sharp edges. I landed a few feet from the demon, who stared at me indifferently, but his eyes held a pained look. I inched closer to him, stumbling as the wind continued to slice through my skin.

"Belphegor!" I shouted over the screaming wind. I continued forward, ignoring the pain that seared through me until I stopped in front of him. The force of the wind increased, forming a small whirlwind around the two of us, cutting us off from the world.

"Belphegor! You need to stop. I know you don't want to hurt anyone. Please!" I yelled to no effect, the wind increasing more, cutting my body faster and deeper than before.

"Wizard," a hoarse voice called to me. I looked up to see pale blue eyes staring desperately at me. "You need to leave. I-I don't want to hurt you or your friends," he stuttered out, trying to fight against the wild power.

"And leave you here to sufferer alone? I'm not going to do that. What kind of friend would I be if I did that." His face turned hopeful, but turned white again as he lost control. _I promise I will help you. But what do I do? There's got to be something that I can do! What do you do when someone is silently suffering from something you can't see?_

Then it came to me. I stepped forward and did the one thing that I wanted when I was suffering alone. I wrapped my arms around the demons neck and hugged him. I screamed as my side was instantly attacked, already feeling a warm liquid gliding down the skin. My body continued to be assaulted, but I kept my grip and pulled myself closer to his ear.

"You don't have to suffer alone. I don't know what happened to you, but you don't have to suffer through it by yourself anymore." As soon as the words left my mouth, my body was forcefully removed from his, sharp daggers piercing me when I landed on the ground. Pale blue eyes watched helplessly while I was attacked and pushed back when I tried to pull myself up. Somehow, I was able to get up, but my left foot dragged behind me as I made my way toward the demon, my body wincing in pain. Belphegor's eyes widened, the blue color returning as he continued to watch me struggle under the continuous assaults.

"Wizard," he mumbled when I wrapped my arms around him again.

"You're not alone. I won't let you be alone ever again. I promise." As if those words set off a reaction, the wind instantly died down and everything became silent. I felt my body being lowered to the ground, shaky arms encircling me, holding me tightly to their chest.

"I'm so sorry, Wizard," a strangled voice whispered, warm water dripping onto my neck. I tried to reach out to the voice, but my body was too exhausted to give a response, my vision once again turning dark. The last thing I remembered was being lifted and someone yelling before I fell into the darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

My body felt warm and automatically moved closer to the source as it tightened around my stomach. Feeling hazy from sleep, I opened my eyes to see spiked pink hair and a white scarf. _Oh, it's just Natsu,_ I thought, closing my eyes again before they flew open as I realized what I had thought. I turned my head over to make sure, and there laid Natsu, his face just inches from mine. I felt my face warm up at the close proximity and tried to wiggle out of the grip he had on me.

"Mm, be still, Luce," Natsu's sleepy voice whispered in my ear as his arm moved up a little, barely grazing my chest. Natsu's eyes had barely opened when I broke free of him and 'Lucy-Kicked' him across the room, his body crashing into the wall.

"Watch where you put your hands!" I yelled at him, the noise causing the door to open and people flooded into the room. I heard laughter and looked over to see Gray and Bix laughing at Natsu who had just pulled himself out of the wall and was glaring at the two laughing mages.

"What did you do this time, Flame Brain?" Gray asked, stripping out of his shirt and pants.

"Nothing, Popsicle. You wanna go?" Natsu butted heads with Gray the two glaring at each other until Erza spoke up.

"You two aren't fighting, are you?"

"No, ma'am. We're best friends," Gray said, throwing his arm around Natsu who did the same, yelling 'Aye sir!'

"Good. Friends should not fight," Erza said turning away, missing the glare and shoves the two gave each other. I started laughing, earning the attention of everyone present in the room.

"Lucy!" I heard my name being yelled before I was suddenly tackled back to the bed, three bodies smothering me.

"Guys….can't….breathe," I huffed out. They immediately let go, only to have a small blur of blue fur fly into my chest.

"Lushhhyyyy! I thought you were gonna die!" Happy cried, clinging to me. Dramatic much, I thought, gently prying Happy off and cradling him in my arms.

"You baka cat. You can't get rid of me that easily." I smiled down at him, his tears instantly vanishing.

"Aye sir!" he yelled, making me giggle as he flew up and landed on my head.

"Lu-chan. Thank goodness you're awake. When you came in covered in blood, I thought Natsu was going to burn the guild down. Then Wendy said that she healed everything she could, but didn't know when you would wake up." I heard Levy's voice and spotted her standing beside a slightly concerned Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Yo, Bunny. You alright?" Gajeel asked.

"I'm fine, everyone. Just a little sore. How long was I out?"

"About three days," Wendy's soft voice answered beside. I glanced up at the young dragon slayer and saw her eyes were a little puffy and red, her face pale and exhausted from the healing she had to have done. Feeling guilty for upsetting the young girl, I pulled her to me and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Wendy. Thanks to you, I'm all better now," I said, her arms tightening around me as she began crying.

"Wendy was the most worried about, Lucy. She never left your side, scared that if she did, something would happen. She really loves you," Master's voice reached me. I looked up to see the tiny old man standing at the foot of my bed. Laxus and the Shinigami's standing behind him.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble lately, Master," I apologized, bowing my head.

"Nonsense child. What you did is what any Fairy Tail Mage would've done if they were in your position. Laxus told me what happened with your new spirit, and I am proud that you were able to get through to him, despite your injuries. There is no need to apologize." I felt my eyes tear up and I smiled, once again thinking how lucky I was to have such a wonderful family.

"Now, Lucy. We need to discuss in full detail everything that happened." Master's voice turned serious and I nodded.

"I want everyone except Laxus, the Raijinshuu, Team Natsu, and our guests, out." There was some grumbling and complaining, but they listened and walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Okay. What happened?" Master asked.

"The key that was mentioned in the request was what caused the people to suddenly start killing each other." I reached for my keys and held up the two black keys.

"These black keys are called the Demon Keys and they are not a part of the Celestial Realm. Zeref created these keys, hoping to control them and destroy their home, which is Hell. There are seven in total and each demon personifies one of the Seven Sins. The demons that lived in Hell kept disappearing until only these seven were left, and if they don't get back soon, Hell will collapse and release all of its souls into the world. The people in the black coats that were mentioned were these guys. They call themselves Shinigami's and they were sent to collect the Demon Keys and find the person who is after them." I finished explaining. Master nodded, mulling over the information.

"Why did Zeref want the demons?"

"The demons are powerful enough to create an aura around their key and it can affect anyone who touches it. Only the people who have the opposite virtue of their Sin will not be affected. He also wanted to be in control of Hell, but the demons don't know why. Luckily, something happened and Zeref was never able to complete his plans. Unfortunately though, a man from the Shinigami world is after the keys and they don't know why either."

"That is troublesome. So, what are these sins and their demons?"

"The leader of the Sins is Satan who is the Sin of Wrath. Then there is Lucifer, Sin of Pride; Mammon, Sin of Greed; Asmodeus, Sin of Lust; Leviathan, Sin of Envy; Belphegor, Sin of Sloth, and Beelzebub, Sin of Gluttony."

"Which one do you have, Lucy?

"I actually have two. Beelzebub was the key in Foss and I found Belphegor's key when we came back to Magnolia."

"Speaking of him, what happened with that demon?" Laxus spoke up, eyeing Belphegor's key warily.

"I'm not sure. Beelzebub said he would explain." I stroked the two keys and instantly Beelzebub's key lit up and he arrived in a puff of smoke.

"Demoness, are you alright?" Beelzebub immediately asked, taking my hand and sitting beside me on the bed.

"Yes, I am fine. How is Belphegor?" I asked, more worried about my spirit.

"He feels guilty for hurting you so badly. He said that he does not wish to be summoned until I explain everything to you, then you can choose whether you want to contract him or not." Beelzebub looked concerned for his fellow demon and my body tensed, not liking what he said.

"First off you should know that Belphegor is probably the most peaceful out of the Sins, but he is also a little naive. He does not like violence, but will fight if it is necessary. Please remember this as I tell you what happened to him." I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"This was before we were made into the keys, Belphegor was friendlier and all the souls and demon's loved him, then one day he had told us that he had made a friend in a world called Earthland and that he had invited him to meet all of us. We wanted tell him not to bring this 'friend' into Hell, but we couldn't because of how happy he looked, so we let him. When he brought the person, the first thing we all realized was that he was powerful and he shouldn't be there. He was dressed in black with a white cloth draped over his body. Jet black hair and sad, hopeless black eyes. Belphegor had introduced him as Zeref." Gasps sounded through the room and I looked up at Natsu, his hair was covering his eyes and his hands were on fire.

"At first we were wary about Zeref, but kept to ourselves for Belphegor's sake. Zeref kept visiting, but over the course of his visits, we felt that he was changing. Of course, Belphegor didn't notice and we didn't tell him because we didn't want him to feel worried about it. When Zeref visited, he never paid attention to Belphegor as he showed Zeref around Hell. All Zeref would do is look around, a calculating expression on his face and we would occasionally see his eyes flicker red. It wasn't until Belphegor showed Zeref Satan's domain did he become interested and began examining the place more closely. After that, he stopped visiting and Belphegor never saw him again. A few years went by and we forgot about him, that is until he attacked." Beelzebub's body had tensed and his voice had become quieter. I gently squeezed his hand, encouraging him to go on.

"Zeref destroyed half of the first four floors before we could react to what happened. When we were able to get over the shock of what happened, we began fighting back. Our attacks were working and we were pushing him back, but Belphegor ran in between us and Zeref. He looked hurt that we were attacking his friend, even though he knew what Zeref had done. He wanted us to stop and he walked closer to Zeref, almost begging him to listen. It looked like he would, but his eyes suddenly turned red and a black mist started to surround him until it pushed out at us. Being demons we were used to death and darkness, so his magic didn't bother us, but it affected Belphegor. Belphegor's magic is probably the closest to any type of light magic we have in Hell, and since Zeref uses Death magic, the attack affected him more than us. Belphegor started screaming and clutching his head and when we tried to get close to him to help, we'd get blown away. No matter what we did we couldn't get to him and had to listen to his agonizing screams as he suffered." Beelzebub's hand tightly gripped mine, his voice turning dark as he spoke.

"After what seemed like forever his screams stopped, but he had changed. At the time, Belphegor was the only demon who did not have a Demon Form until then. His hair was still white, but had yellow streaks and all of his clothing had turned white. It was almost like what you guys saw, but instead of those white lines they were mixed with black and he had one white and one black eye. Because of the darkness that was in him, Zeref had some control over him and had order him to attack us." His voice cracked and I squeezed his hand, trying my best to comfort him.

"Without hesitating, Belphegor did has he said and it took everything we had not to hurt him as we tried to attack Zeref. While we were fighting, Lucifer was able to get inside of Belphegor's mind and took control from Zeref, but it didn't last long and Lucifer had to put Belphegor in an illusion until the fight was over. It seemed like we had gotten the upper hand with Belphegor out of the way, so when we thought he was defeated we released Belphegor only to have him start attacking again, severely injuring a few of us. That was when Zeref did the spell to bind us to those keys. Before he bound Belphegor to his, Zeref gave him a necklace that controlled the darkness that tainted his magic. It took years for Belphegor to come out of his Demon Form and when he did…" Beelzebub stopped, his voice cracking a little as a tear slid down his face. _He must really love Belphegor._

"When he finally came out of that form, he was so distraught over what happened and what he did, he changed. Belphegor never smiled or laughed, putting a distance between us. He blames himself over what happened and when we were given to that mage, Belphegor knew somehow that Zeref was around. To keep us safe and to make up for what he did, Belphegor managed to block our gates to keep us from being summoned and went in our places. Every time he returned, he would be on the verge of death, blood was always staining his body, yet he wouldn't let us be called." More tears rolled down Beelzebub's face and I squeezed his hand, trying to give him comfort. I heard a soft sob and looked down to see Wendy silently crying. I wrapped my arm around her and she buried herself into my side as she let the tears fall.

"We knew the mage was going crazy because he did not have any of the virtues and we knew he would eventually die, but one day the mage was able to break Belphegor's block and summoned Leviathan, beating him as well. When Belphegor heard this, he opened his gate and because of the anger coursing through him, he turned into his Demon Form and killed the mage. He was devastated when he returned to normal and he withdrew into himself, afraid that he would hurt us and thought that we blamed him for everything, though we didn't." He turned to me, his usually calm light violet eyes were now drowning in emotions that released themselves in the tears that fell.

"He won't listen to any of us when we tell him that it was not his fault. Will you try to make him see reason for us, even if you do not wish to contract with him after learning this, will you please try? He believes that he does not deserve a second chance and that there is no hope for him. He is trapping himself in his own sin." Beelzebub's voice sounded desperate _. He really wants to help his friend and how can I deny him this request._ I nodded and untangled myself from Wendy, picking up Belphegor's key as I stood up.

"Open, Demon Gate, Sloth," I quietly called, my voice breaking. The room filled with a grey smoke, revealing the demon we had been talking about. Belphegor ignored everyone in the room and focused on me.

"So, Beelzebub told you everything that happened. How I destroyed my friends lives, our home, and the blood that stains my hands? Go ahead and say it. I am a monster. Someone who should not be allowed to live for all the wrongs I have done. Go ahead! Say it!" Belphegor's body trembled as he glared at me, his hands clenched into fists. I heard Natsu growl and my team stepped forward, but I held my hand up, stopping them.

"I do not believe you are a monster." Belphegor froze in surprise, his face went blank at my words.

"Yeah right. You-" he stopped as I shook my head, denying what he was going to say.

"No matter what you say, I absolutely do not believe you are a monster. Anyone who would step in the middle of a fight to stop their friends, is brave. Yes, you did attack your friends and your home was taken from you, but that was not your fault. You did not know what Zeref was capable of. You attacked your friends because of him, but you were trying to get him to stop because you were concerned for him. Do you regret trying to stop him?" I asked and he shook his head.

"Then there is no need for you to feel guilty about what happened. There are some things that are beyond our control and we have no way of knowing what the results will be, but Belphegor, you have people who care about you. They do not blame you. They never have and they never will. You have to stop blaming yourself for the actions of others." I looked in to his eyes that were glistening with tears.

"But our home is gone and I killed a man," he weakly argued, bowing his head so I wouldn't see him cry.

"Your home is not gone. It is still there and I promise that I will find a way to make sure you get back. And yes, you did kill a man, but it was not a cold-blooded murder. You did it to protect your friend who was hurting. To me, that is not your fault and does not make you a monster." I smiled gently at him.

"You do not have to suffer alone anymore. There are so many people who care about you, including me. I believe that you deserve a second chance and I want to prove it to you. Belphegor, will you make a contract with me?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Once again I am sorry for the long wait. Things had just been crazy at school with exams and projects being due, but now that school is out I have more time to write:) Here is the next chapter, hope you like it:)**

 **Chapter 12**

Belphegor's head snapped up, eyes wide as he stared at me, surprised. His mouth kept opening and closing before finally stuttering out, "O-of course, my Demoness. I would love to make a contract with you." His face seemed to glow in so much happiness and hope that it made me smile.

"When are you available and what type of magic do you use?"

"I am available whenever you need me. I am able to use Air magic which also allows me to control the air currents in the sky. I can also make rain or any kind of weather when my magic is combined with another elemental magic. Then there is my Demon Form, but I try to avoid using it as much as possible." I nodded and wrote all down.

"Why can't you use your Demon Form. I understand that first time because it was infused with Zeref's magic, but what caused you to use it when we first met?" I questioned, feeling a little confused.

"Ah, that's because some of Zeref's magic is still infused with my magic. There's not a lot, but enough to make me lose control when I'm in my Demon Form. I am really sorry for causing you and your friends harm, Demoness." Belphegor bowed his head, his voice full of remorse. I gently raised his head up, ice blue eyes meeting mine.

"It is fine. You had no control over it and besides, no one was seriously injured." I smiled at him, hoping to ease his guilt.

"Yea, right. No one was _seriously_ injured." Someone mocked behind me and I turned to glare at whoever it was before turning back to my spirit.

"Why don't you and Beelzebub return and get some rest. I'll call you whenever I get the chance." Belphegor nodded and disappeared. Beelzebub took my hand, smiling at me in relief and joy.

"Thank you for helping him. He means so much to us and we were afraid that we were going to lose him forever. Thank you, Demoness, for saving Belphegor from a life of darkness." With that Beelzebub disappeared.

"Alright. Now that Lucy has everything settled with her spirits, why don't the Shinigami's explain their reason for being here," Master's voiced sounded through the room. I turned around and sat back down on the bed, feeling a bit dizzy. Wendy instantly snuggled close to me, her small arms wrapping around me. I smiled down at the blue haired girl and put my arms around her, pulling her close.

"First I am Rukia, the white haired boy is Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. The orange head is Ichigo, the red haired is Renji and the blue haired one is Grimmjow." Rukia spoke up, introducing everyone to Master and Team Natsu.

"The short version of what we told Lucy and the others is that a man named Aizen had betrayed Soul Society, which is were we live, and had disappeared three years ago. A few days ago, our Researchers had been getting readings of a strong spiritual pressure. They thought it was Aizen, but something else kept blocking out the reading. After some more researching they found that it was these keys that were blocking the spiritual pressure. We were sent to collect these keys and find Aizen, but due to Lucy being able to contract and summon the beings connected to the keys, our orders have been changed to protect her." Rukia continued, easily summarizing everything she told us.

"While I thank you for protecting Lucy, may I ask why it is you need to protect her?" Master asked.

"Aizen had sent two of his followers already to take Lucy. One of them said that he would try again knowing that she was the one," Toshiro spoke up. My team tensed up before moving closer to me, looking around for any signs of danger.

"Why would he say that?" Master asked, confused.

"Because, when I was little, my father apparently made a deal with Aizen that he could have the demon keys when he finds them along with me when I was older," I explained, still a little upset over it. Wendy squeezed me tighter and Natsu placed a hand on my shoulder, a knowing look on his face. I smiled up at him, letting him know I was alright. I looked back at the others to see them looking at me in sympathy, expect Grimmjow was frowning, his eyes on Natsu. I looked between the two, confused about why Grimmjow was looking at Natsu like that, but my attention was brought back to Master as he began talking.

"Lucy, my dear child. I am sorry you have to be caught up in this, but I promise that Fairy Tail will protect you. For now I am assigning both Team Natsu and the Raijinshuu along with the Shinigami's to protect you. I already know that you are planning to find the rest of these keys and try to send them back home, so I wish you all luck and remember that we are all behind you." Master smiled at me and I glanced around at the people in the room and felt myself relax, knowing that these people and the ones downstairs will help me whenever I need them.

"Thank you, Master." He nodded and looked back at everyone else.

"I suggest that all of you stay close to Lucy and protect her with all your strength." Master began eyeing everyone and they all nodded, even the Shinigami's. I felt tears well up in my eyes and began thinking how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family.

"Now, why don't we go downstairs and join everyone else. I'm sure they want to check on Lucy." We began to follow Master out when an idea struck me.

"Master," I called out to him. He turned to look at me and I continued. "Since the Shinigami's will be staying here a while, why don't we let them join the guild for the time being. That way it won't be suspicious having five people hanging around without a guild mark. Also I was thinking that they should change clothes, you know to blend into our world, and that should help them find Aizen faster and easier." I saw Master giving it some thought before he turned to the people in question.

"Well, what do you think? This is your decision," Master said looking at them.

"That might work. Blending into a place will help by finding the enemy better. Will these marks be permanent?" Toshiro asked.

"While they are on your skin, they are permanent, but I can remove it anytime you wish," Master answered, a small smile on his face as he headed toward his office. He returned a minute later with the stamp and said, "Where do you want it and what color?" Toshiro, Ichigo and Renji had theirs placed on their right shoulder in white, dark blue, and red (in that order). Rukia had hers placed on her right hand like mine in purple while Grimmjow opened his jacket and had it placed on the right side of his chest in black. I felt myself blushing a little when Grimmjow opened his jacket, exposing his muscular chest and abs. I looked away and found myself in the knowing looks of Erza and Ever who apparently saw my little reaction.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, brats. Let's go downstairs and celebrate!" Master shouted and ran out of the room to tell the rest of the guild who erupted into shouts. I shook my head and followed everyone out of the infirmary only to stop beside the Shinigami's who were standing on the second floor looking down in surprise. I giggled a little at their reactions, gaining their attention.

"Don't worry. This is how our guild is always like. Loud, rowdy, and crazy. I'm sure you guys will fit in, especially Grimmjow and Ichigo because there are multiple fights that occur daily, but try not to hurt anyone too bad, alright?" I mainly directed this at Grimmjow who nodded and looked back at the guild.

"After while we'll go to a store and get you guys some new clothes," I said smiling and began downstairs. I walked over to the bar, Toshiro and Rukia following me. I looked around to see Grimmjow, Ichigo, and Renji had already been pulled into a fight with Natsu and Gray. I giggled and shook my head before turning around to face Mira.

"Hey Mira, can I get a strawberry milkshake, please? What would you guys like?" I asked Toshiro and Rukia. Rukia ordered the same thing I got and Toshiro ordered a bowl of ice cream. Mira nodded and came back a few minutes later, our orders in hand.

"Lucy, are you sure your alright. I-" Mira began, but I raised my hand, stopping her.

"I'm fine, Mira. This is nothing. I'm a Fairy Tail mage, I'm used to this kind of thing happening." She nodded but didn't look convinced. Deciding for a change in topic, I asked, "So, Mira, has anything happened while I was gone?" Her face instantly lit up.

"Well, Natsu and Lisanna seem to be getting close, so has Juvia and Gray. I've seen Erza slip out of the guild alone with a few missions, but she was probably meeting Jellal. Oh, I came so close to having Levy confess to Gajeel, but that little blue fur ball flying around ruined it." Mira's aura became dark, looking around for the said fur ball before turning to me a 'too innocent' smile plastered on her face.

"So, Lucy. Have you found anyone interesting while you were away?" Mira asked me innocently, but the look in her eye said she was going into matchmaker mode. I inwardly groaned and started shaking my head. "No, I haven't." I quickly tried to dissuade her from any ideas she might have, but it seemed luck wasn't on my side judging by the gleam in her eyes.

"Really? Hmm," she looked around the room before leaning in close to me and said, "I've heard that you seem to be attracted to a certain blue haired guest of ours." I started choking on my milkshake and looked up at Mira in horror.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, not knowing where the idea came from.

"Oh, I just got a little tip from someone." Was all she said as she turned to get someone else's order. I groaned and hit my head on the edge of the bar.

"What was that about, Lucy?" Rukia's voice sounded to my left and I turned my head to see her staring at me a little confused and amused. I opened my mouth when my name was suddenly called. I turned around to see a whirlwind of fire heading toward me. Without thinking, I pushed Rukia and Toshiro out of their seats before I was being pulled and fell against my savior just as the bar exploded into flames. Mira was already in Satan Soul form and towering over a shaking Natsu when I finally sat up.

"Natsuuu." Mira's voice echoed around the silent room, her dark aura surrounding the terrified dragon slayer. I rolled my eyes at my idiotic best friend and tried to stand up when I felt a strong arm wrapped around my waist. I followed the arm to see a bare chested Grimmjow leaning against the wall behind me. _When did he take his jacket off?_ I thought, blushing as I tried to escape his hold.

"Quit moving for a minute, Blaze." Grimmjow growled in my ear. I turned to see his blue eyes glaring at me, or trying to glare, I couldn't tell because he kept closing his eyes and squinting as if he was in pain. I raised a hand and started pressing lightly on his head causing him to hiss as he opened his eyes and attempted a pitiful glare.

"Wendy!" I shouted over the noise of the guild, knowing she'd still hear me with her dragon hearing. A few seconds later, the little blue haired girl popped up beside me.

"Can you heal Grimmjow? I think he has a slight concussion." She nodded and raised her hands to Grimmjow's head. A couple minutes passed and she lowered her hands smiling at me.

"That should do it," she said, standing up. I smiled at her in thanks as she walked away. The arm that held me in place tightened as I was pulled backward.

"G-Grimmjow, let me go," I stuttered, feeling my face start to heat up again.

"Why should I? This is twice now I saved you from an attack and I haven't gotten anything in return," he whispered in my ear causing my face to burn more as I struggled to get out of his grip. He started chuckling, removing his arm as I tried to get away from him before Mira saw anything, but it was too late. She was staring at us, hearts in her eyes as she mumbled 'blue-haired, brown-eyed babies' and 'blonde-haired, blue-eyed babies.' I groaned and began heading toward the doors before Mira had a chance to interrogate me. I motioned to the Shinigami's to follow me and we walked out of the guild, safely escaping Mira. I let out a sigh of relief just as I heard laughing from behind me and turned to see Ichigo and Renji laughing. Rukia was smiling at me while Grimmjow had a small smirk on his face.

"What was that about, Lucy?" Rukia asked again, amusement dancing across her face.

"Mira likes to play matchmaker and she has been trying to set me up with someone every chance she gets. I had just got her to drop it, but now this blue haired idiot gave her ideas about the two of us," I explained, glaring at Grimmjow whose smirk seemed to widen. Ichigo, Renji and Rukia began to laugh harder and I glared at them before turning around to see big turquoise eyes also glaring at them before resting on me.

"Lucy, where will we be getting our clothes?" Toshiro's frosty voice asked. I sighed and smiled at him, grateful that he wasn't joining in laughing at my misery.

"It's down the street a little. You guys should find something that you'll like." He nodded and followed me down the path. We entered the shop and everyone began browsing through the racks, but began to look frustrated when they couldn't find anything that would suit them.

"Lucy, can you come help me?" Rukia asked sheepishly.

"Sure." I walked over and began looking through the clothes when I found a dark blue dress with a black belt around the waist. I handed it to her and she quickly went into the dressing room to try it on. She came out a few minutes later, a little embarrassed.

"It looks good on you," I told her, and it did. The dress came to her knees as the belt hung loosely around her hips. Along with the short black boots I just gave her, she looked like she'd fit right in Fairy Tail. I turned around to see if the guys needed any help, but they had disappeared. My eyes were glancing around trying to find them when a dressing room door clicked opened and Ichigo stepped out. He was wearing a short sleeved red shirt over simple black jeans with white shoes. The outfit actually looked good on him. He smiled at us and I turned away embarrassed, only to see Renji, Toshiro and Grimmjow come out of their own dressing rooms.

Renji was dressed in a black long sleeved shirt with light blue jeans that were ripped at the knees with black shoes. Toshiro was wearing a black short sleeved shirt with a few buttons running down the front with a white collar, dark blue jeans and white shoes. Grimmjow's appearance didn't seem to change that much with a black sleeveless jacket that was zipped up to the middle, no shirt, dark blue jeans and black shoes. All their outfits seemed simple, yet it all looked good on them, especially Grimmjow. _What the hell, Lucy? Stop thinking that._ I scolded myself, yet I couldn't take my eyes off Grimmjow who was smirking at me again. I blushed from having been caught and turned to the others.

"W-well, do you like your choices? If so I'll go ahead and pay," I stuttered out, walking toward the shopkeeper and paid. We had just stepped out of the store when Levy and Gajeel came running up to us, relief washing over their faces.

"Levy-chan! What's wrong?" I asked, looking at her disheveled appearance.

"I'm so sorry, Lu-chan. We didn't make it time." Levy collapsed against me, crying into my shirt. Confused, I looked up at Gajeel, hoping he would explain.

"Your house. It's destroyed. Nothing's left."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Huh?" was all I could say as my mind tried to process what he had said.

"There was this weird creature that literally came out of no where and destroyed your whole building. Luckily, your landlady was out and wasn't hurt," Levy answered once she had calmed down.

"What did this creature look like?" Rukia asked coming up beside me.

"It was huge with a red and blue body, but had a white head. The oddest thing about it was the hole in its center. I have never seen or heard of a monster like that," Levy explained.

"A Hollow?" Rukia said aloud just as an explosion sounded down the street. Without thinking I started running forward, wanting to see what happened to my home with my own eyes. I had just turned the corner to my street when I skidded to a halt. In front of me the Raijinshuu, Laxus and Team Natsu along with Juvia were battling against a large Hollow that towered over all the buildings, but wasn't as big as the one we encountered in Foss. Its large white head tilted back as a red glowing began forming in its mouth.

"Shit." Someone muttered under their breath. The Shinigami's reached for their swords, but before they could do anything, Erza was suddenly above the monster and slashed down with her own sword. I slowly walked forward as the Hollow disappeared, shocked at the sight. The building I once called home was now in pieces, not a single board was left standing. It was just a huge pile of debris. Unrecognizable.

"Lucy. Thank goodness you are safe," Erza called out, running up to me with the rest of Team Natsu.

"Luce-" Natsu started but was interrupted by a flash of light to reveal Virgo in a torn maid outfit covered in scratches and dirt.

"Virgo. What happened to you?" I managed to say, tearing my eyes away from the rubble to check over my spirit.

"I sensed that something was going to happen, so I entered your house. I made it in time to save the things you'd need as well as your manuscripts and this," Virgo explained, handing me a familiar black box. I took the box from her and clutched it to my chest, tears streaming down my face before wrapping my arms around Virgo.

"Virgo, you could have been seriously hurt. What were you thinking?" I scolded her, worried that she could have gotten hurt. I hugged her tighter, feeling lucky to have such wonderful spirits. "But thank you," I whispered, pulling back.

"Punishment, Hime?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"No, no punishment, Virgo." I laughed, feeling a bit better. She nodded and disappeared, a small smile on her usually emotionless face.

"Lucy. Are you alright? I am sorry we couldn't make it in time. You may punch me for my careless delay," Erza said, bowing her head.

I-It's fine, Erza. There was no way of knowing this would happen. You did all you could. I'm just glad no one was hurt," I hurriedly said, not wanting her or anyone to feel guilty.

"Where will you stay?" Ever asked, coming up beside me. I thought for a minute, not sure. _Maybe I could stay at the guild?_

"You'll be staying with me," Laxus spoke up, surprising me. I was about to protest, but the look on his face held no room for argument. I sighed and nodded, not wanting to put up with Laxus' overprotective brother side.

"If Lucy is staying with you, then so are we," Erza said. Natsu and Gray nodded, agreeing for once.

"So is the Raijinshuu." Freed stepped up, Bickslow nodding beside him.

"Since we have no place to stay and were ordered to protect Lucy as well, we will be coming too," Ichigo said from behind me, placing a hand on my head.

"I don't have room for all of you." Laxus glared, his eyes staying on Grimmjow longer than anyone else.

"That is alright, Laxus-sama. I will make an exception and allow everyone here to stay at my place," Freed offered. Laxus turned his glare back on Freed. "It would be better if we all stayed together to protect Lucy. My house has enough rooms to accommodate everyone," he continued. Laxus continued to glare at him then sighed, accepting what he had said. Freed nodded and turned to the rest of us.

"If you will follow me." Freed turned around and began walking down the street. We followed him, waving to Juvia who was heading back to the guild reluctantly, muttering that she'd rather be with her Gray-sama.

We continued to walk until we came to the edge of town and stopped in front of a huge white two story house, a dense forest growing a few yards behind it. Round pillars were spaced out along the house, stretching all the way up to the roof. Windows were lined up evenly in between each pillar on both floors. A balcony was placed on the top floor above the double wooden front door. Everything about this place screamed nobility and I shivered, remembering all the lonely memories I endured at the Heartfilia Konzern.

I felt warmth around my shoulders and looked up to see Natsu staring at me. I smiled and leaned into him, taking comfort in my best friend. I glanced at the others, feeling lucky that I had all these people to fill my life. My gaze landed on the newest additions to our guild, happy to have more people to add to my family. My eyes landed on the tallest member of the Shinigami's who was staring back at me. I felt my face heat up, remembering what happened at the guild. His eyes narrowed as they shifted to the dragon slayer beside me. _What's going on between them?_

"Hold on just a moment. I have to rewrite the runes for you to enter." Freed's voice cut through my thoughts. Taking out his sword, the runes lit up around the house as he began rewriting them. I stifled a giggle as I watched him work, thinking it was so like him to place runes around his own house.

"Alright. I made it to where only Fairy Tail members and you five specifically can enter the house," Freed explained to us, looking at the Shinigami's when he said them specifically. I guess that's for the best. We do not need any Hollows or Arrancar attacking us while we slept. We all stepped over the runes and walked through the front door, crowding in the large, empty foyer. All that was in it was a beautiful red oriental rug that took up the majority of the floor and a crystal chandelier that hung above us. There were a couple of doors on either side of the room and a grand white staircase sat in front of us.

"I will give you a tour and tell you where you can and can not wander in to. There will also be no fighting in here. There is a training ground outside if you wish to fight," Freed warned, mostly staring at Natsu and Gray before turning and showing us the rooms. He led us to the living room, kitchen (where he said that only Ever and I can enter since we were the only ones who knew how to cook), the dining room, the library, and the training grounds.

"There are runes around the grounds here. You can use any spell you like and it will keep it in this vicinity only. After you are done and have exited the runes, the grounds will fix the damages you made and will be ready to use the next day," Freed explained. Natsu, Gray, Ichigo, and Grimmjow all looked eager to begin training, but were lead away, Freed telling them they can come back later.

"Ever. The girls will share the rooms that adjourn to your room," Freed said once we got back to the stairs. She nodded and began walking up with the rest of us trailing behind her.

"Laxus, Bix, and I have our own rooms here, but you guys may have to share a room," Ever said, entering a room on the left. "Two of you can stay here. There is a bathroom in here and a door that leads to the other girls rooms." I entered the room to see a queen sized bed covered with red covers and pillows. There was a small desk and dresser on one side of the room with door beside them. Two doors were on either side of the bed along with a glass door leading to a balcony.

"I will be rooming with Lucy," Erza claimed, not giving room for arguments. I paled at the thought of sharing the bed with her.

"Actually Erza, I think it would be best if Wendy stayed with me. You and Rukia can have the room right next to ours," I proposed, not wanting to gasp for air while I slept. Erza turned to the little blue haired girl who had not said a word the entire time and nodded.

"Alright. I will allow it since Wendy seems nervous, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to get me." I nodded and smiled toward Wendy, her body relaxing slightly. Starting to feel hungry, I was just about to ask Ever if she wanted to help me cook something when I felt it. A familiar pull that could only be related to a key. I quickly ran out of the room, ignoring the calls from the others as I dashed downstairs.

"Freed!" I called out. The Rune mage came out of the living room followed by the rest of the guys. Seeing my expression, they all got into battle stances, eyes darting around looking for any danger.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Freed calmly asked me, seeming to know that there was no danger.

"The woods behind your house. Do they belong to you? Can I go in there?" I quickly questioned, the pull becoming stronger.

"Yes, they do belong to me and yes, you can enter it. May I ask why?" I smiled at him and ran out the door, following the pull. I heard everyone's footsteps behind me, but I kept running until we were surrounded by nothing but trees until I came to a massive oak tree. I couldn't see any leaves or branches as I looked up the wide trunk with roots sticking out of the ground that were almost half as round as the trunk. I slowed my pace and walked up to the base of the tree.

"Lucy," Ever huffed. "Why the hell did you take off like that?"

"Shut up. She's found a key," Natsu's voice echoed through the forest.

"How do you know that?" A deep voice that sounded like Renji asked.

"Whenever she takes off without saying anything means there is a key around. She's done this plenty of times on missions and scares us half to death when we find her gone. Usually one of us has to keep our eye on her in case she goes off," Gray explained.

"I'm not that bad," I protested, kneeling down and digging at the ground.

"Yes. You are," my whole team said at once. I pouted but kept digging at the ground silently. My fingers scraped through the dirt, little pieces covering my skirt. After a few minutes of finding nothing, I sensed the others getting restless.

"What's taking so long," Someone complained.

"She'll find it soon," Natsu's voice reached my ears.

"Well hurry up. I'm hungry." The voice, Grimmjow's I think, sounded irritated.

"You got a problem, Freak?" Natsu yelled.

"Yea. We just ran through a forest for ten minutes looking for what? A god damn key? Pathetic." I heard Natsu growl and I noticed the air grow colder, but I ignored it, Grimmjow's words running through my mind. Before Natsu, Gray, or even Erza could do anything, I was already on my feet and sending Grimmjow crashing into a tree.

"What the hell?!" He yelled standing up and glaring, looking for the culprit, his eyes resting on me as I lowered the leg I kicked him with. I stood there and let my bangs cover my eyes, trying to reel in the anger I was feeling. _Why can't these damn Arrancar idiots learn not to mess with me when it comes to my spirits?_

"Damn, Blaze. No need to get so worked up. I was only telling the truth. What's the point of collecting these annoying keys? Waste of time if you ask me." _Waste of time? My magic, my_ mother's _magic, is a waste of time?_ Not able to control my anger any longer, I stepped toward him and slapped him across the face. Everyone seemed to freeze, holding their breath, not knowing what to do. The forest became silent, the tension between Grimmjow and I was heavy and he forcefully grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me up, our eyes glaring at the other. As if the sudden movement broke their frozen state, Team Natsu got in position to attack.

"What do you think your doing, Blaze?" Grimmjow growled in my face, ignoring everyone.

"Don't ever say that my magic is a waste of time. You know nothing about me or my magic," I growled back, not intimidated. He brought my face closer, our noses brushing and our lips inches apart. I would've been embarrassed if I wasn't so angry right now. I clenched my fists, my hand beginning to feel warm. I ignored it, thinking it was Natsu until a yellow light appeared beside us and I was pulled out of Grimmjow's grasp into someone else's arms.

"Please restrain yourself from harming My Lady," a deep husky voice threatened.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

I glanced up at the new voice to see a tall, shaggy blonde haired man. The arm holding me tightened as his blue eyes continued to glare at Grimmjow.

"Who the hell are you?" Grimmjow's glare drifted to the newcomer before resting back on me.

"I am the demon of Pride and second-in-command of the Seven Sins, Lucifer," the man's, Lucifer's, strong voice vibrated through the forest. _I didn't know I already found the key,_ I thought, surprised, then looked down to see a black key with a yellow pentagram star in a circle design in my hand.

"I don't give a fuck who you are. I have business with that woman and need you to move," Grimmjow said, nodding at me and moving closer. In a quick movement, Lucifer had pushed me to the side and was standing face-to-face with a pissed off Grimmjow.

"Move," he growled out, his glare darkening.

"I will not allow any harm to come to My Lady." The two glared at each, neither showing any signs of backing down. Now that I had a chance to see this new spirit, I noticed that he was evenly matched with Grimmjow in height. His leather pants reached down to his ankles and was wearing an open sleeveless black vest that reached the middle of his well defined stomach. A long silver chain hung around his neck, a red pentagram pendant attached to it. Looking between the two I stifled a laugh and wondered if all the demons wore related clothing. As if sensing my thoughts, a purple and white light appeared, signaling the arrival of Beelzebub and Belphegor. Seeing the three demons facing and glaring at a pissed Arrancar, I quickly stepped between the four angry men, pushing them away from each other.

"Grimmjow, you and I will settle this later," I said, giving him a look before turning to my spirit. "Beelzebub, Belphegor back off. Lucifer, I thank you for coming to my aid, but I did not summon you. How did you come out?" The demon turned his beautiful sky blue eyes on me and his face softened.

"I felt the tension in the air and I did not like the way this oaf was touching you. I am sorry if I over stepped my boundaries." Lucifer bowed his head and I couldn't bring myself to be mad at him, especially with how he was being so polite.

"It is alright, Lucifer. I am not mad at you for coming out. In fact I am glad you did. It made me feel happy that an uncontracted spirit would come out on their own to help me." I smiled at the confused look in his eyes as he raised his head.

"Why would I not help someone who has the opposite virtue as me. It is not everyday that I find someone who has little arrogance." He tilted his head to the side the way a child would when they do not understand something. _That is so adorable,_ I inwardly squealed.

"Lucifer, it has been a while," Beelzebub said, stepping forward and throwing an arm around the blonde demon's shoulders.

"Yes, it has. I am surprised that she has yours and Belphegor's key. I did not think there was such a person who had virtues to more than one Sin's key?" He titled his head again, looking me over in curiosity.

"I didn't either, but she was able to summon us without the keys being rejected. Hell, Belphegor's key called out to her." Beelzebub explained and Lucifer's attention drifted over to the silver haired demon who had not said a word the whole time.

"You seem to be well, Belphegor," Lucifer said in a soft pained voice.

"I am, and it is thanks to our new master." Belphegor smiled and I heard Lucifer inhale as his gaze shot to me.

"Geez. I told you guys already. I am not your master. I am your friend," I corrected him, feeling irritated. Beelzebub let go of Lucifer and put his arms around me, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Ah, but I wouldn't mind if you were my Master, especially in the bedroom," he whispered in my ear. I felt my face burn in embarrassment but it quickly faded to anger as I saw Beelzebub doubled over in laughter. As if sensing my anger, Beelzebub started running around, laughing more as I chased after him.

"You're gonna be sorry when I catch you," I threatened, but was restrained by a pair of strong arms.

"As much as I would like to see that, our Demoness is too innocent for you. She would be better off with me," Belphegor called out as I struggled to get out of his grasp.

"Belphegor, not you too. Damn it. You two go back already," I yelled, feeling frustrated. The two demons laughed as they faded away, but I felt happy that they were comfortable enough to joke around with me. I turned my attention back to the new demon who had a small smile on his face.

"I do not know how you did it, but I thank you for bringing their spark back. I have not seen those two play around like that in a very long time. They used to get into all kinds of trouble together, but ever since that day they have distanced themselves from each other." Lucifer stared at me, joy and hope dancing in his eyes.

"It was no problem. They told me what happened and I do not believe it was Belphegor's fault and I have promised to find a way to make sure you all get home. I just have to find the other four first. So, Lucifer, would you like to make a contract with me?" I smiled at the demon, taking out my notebook when he nodded.

"Of course. As I said, I am the Sin of Pride and I have Psychic Magic. I am also available whenever you need me, My Lady."

"What do you mean by psychic magic?" I asked curiously. I only knew of two people who had psychic abilities and that was Warren and Cobra.

"Unlike the other demons whose magic lies in the elements, my magic lies with the mind. I can talk with you telepathically, move things with my mind, create illusions, and tell when someone is lying." I hummed, finding his abilities interesting.

"What about your Demon Form?" I asked, wondering what it looks like.

"I do not like to use my Demon Form because I can lose myself in it sometimes and not be able to tell who is friend and foe. But if I ever do need to use it, my powers, speed, and strength increase. I would also be able to connect my mind with any of the Sins and use their magic." I nodded and wrote everything down.

"If that is everything, I would like to return. It has been a while since Belphegor has spoken and I would like catch up with him," Lucifer said, looking at me questionably.

"Of course. It was nice meeting you and I look forward to working with you."

"You as well, My Lady," he responded, fading into a yellow light.

"Well, that was interesting," Erza spoke, amusement laced in her voice. I felt my face heat up again as I remembered everyone here had seen and heard what my spirits did.

"Luce, I wanna fight them," Natsu came up beside me bouncing in excitement, oblivious to my embarrassment.

"No, you idiot." I pushed him lightly, laughing at his stupidity.

"Yeah Flame Brain. If you went up against that Lucifer guy he'd have you beat instantly with his mind magic," Gray insulted.

"I don't know Gray. You are talking about someone who completely shut his mind off when he fought Cobra," I defended my best friend who looked ready to start fighting with Gray.

"True. Only a real idiot who had no brain could do that."

"Alright, that's it. You wanna go, Ice Breath."

"Bring it on, Flametard." They started insulting each other, but before they could start a fight, Erza bashed their heads together.

"No fighting," was all she said, but the glare she gave them had everyone shivering.

"Speaking of fighting. Blaze, you owe me two fights now," Grimmjow spoke up, cracking his fists.

"Yeah, yeah. You'll get your fights, but you are not fighting my spirits," I stated, empathizing the not.

"Oh? Scared that I'm gonna hurt your precious spirits?" He taunted.

"Of course not. I'm more scared of what they would do to you, Kitty." I stole Laxus' nickname for the blue haired man. Grimmjow growled and stepped forward, only to be blocked by my team and Laxus.

"You touch her and I'll fry your ass," Natsu threatened, his body turning into fire.

"For once I agree with the Flamehead," Gray said coming up beside him as Laxus nodded behind them, lightning sparking over his body. The three glared at each other, the tension almost as bad as when the demons were here.

"Enough. There will be no fighting among allies." Erza stepped between them, her own glare daring any of them to argue with her.

"Erza's right. If Grimmjow can't take the time to understand me and my magic, then it is not worth wasting your own magic on him," I quickly said, talking to the three mages. After a few minutes they nodded and backed down, but continued to glare at the blue haired man.

"Tch. Pathetic. I only came here for the fights, not to protect a little girl who relies on keys to fight. Ridiculous." He growled out, turning away. I felt anger rise and had to hold myself back from lashing out.

"You really know nothing about my magic. It may seem ridiculous to you, but to me it is my life, my family. I do not care why you came here or how you feel about me, but I will not let some psychotic asshole disrespect the one thing that means the most to me," I gritted out through my clenched teeth. I didn't even realize I was shaking in anger until a hand rested on my shoulder.

"Grimmjow, I do not care if you look for fights, but you are here on a mission. Lucy has been doing everything she can to help us and while I do not understand her magic or know her that well, I do understand that these spirits and keys mean a lot to her. I will not stand by and let you disrespect her like that." Ichigo defended me, his brown eyes on the Arrancar who had turned around.

"Fuck off, Kuro-"

"Enough. We do not have time for your childish bickering, There are other matters to deal with. We have been ordered back to Soul Society regarding some new information and the Captain-Commander has requested Lucy to attend," Toshiro interrupted.

"M-me?" I stuttered out, turning to the white-haired boy.

"Yes. The Captain-Commander has received information on the current events and thinks that you should attend the meeting."

"Hell no. She is not going anywhere without us. Since we can't enter your world for some damn reason, she will be staying here," Laxus growled.

"What do you mean we can't enter their world?" Erza demanded.

"When we told you that Lucy had been taken by some of Aizen's men, Laxus-sama and the rest of us could not enter the portal that leads to their world, but Lucy could," Freed explained.

"I do not like the sound of that. Lucy should stay with us," Erza declared.

"That's right. Luce goes no where without us," Natsu added, causing me to sigh at their overprotectiveness. While I love my team and Laxus for wanting to protect me, it could be tiring when I wanted to do something on my own.

"I should go. If this information is important enough that their Captain-Commander request that I come, then I need to go." I argued. "Besides, though Grimmjow and I may fight, I trust these guys to keep me safe. I'll be fine," I continued when I saw them about to protest.

"I may not like it, but if Lucy says she'll be okay, then I believe her," Erza sighed, stepping back.

"Luce," Natsu said softly and I turned to see a see him looking at me worriedly and reluctantly. "Come back safe." I nodded and hugged him then turned to Laxus.

"I don't like it," He bluntly said.

"I know, but this information could help me solve how to send the demons back home. Or it could help us in the battles that are going to come. I know you want to protect me Laxus, but I can take care of myself and this is something that I have to do." I stared at him pleadingly.

"Fine, but if anything happens to her, I will be coming after all of you," Laxus threatened, looking at each Shinigami separately.

"Don't worry, Laxus. We'll take care of her," Ichigo assured the worried lightning dragon slayer and smiled down at me. I smiled back and turned to Laxus, hugging him.

"See you when I get back, Sparky," I said, calling him by the nickname I gave him.

"Whatever, Blondie."

"Your blonde too, idiot," I mumbled earning a small smile from the older blonde.

"Alright. I'll send for six Hel-" Toshiro began just as a large white gate appeared and four figures stepped out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"So this is where we're being stationed at." A deep voice called as a large mountain of a man stepped forward. He had the same outfit as Toshiro, but the white jacket was torn at the sleeves and white bandages across his stomach. My eyes drifted to the long scar that ran down the left side of his face and I instantly got the feeling he loved to fight. As he slowly turned his head, I thought I heard a low tinkling sound and found small bells on the tips of his spiked black hair.

"You guys seem pretty strong," the man said, his green eyes, or eye, seeing as the right one was covered with an eyepatch, grazed over us as he rested a sword against his shoulder.

"Go, Ken-chan!" A loud childish voice yelled, and small pink-headed girl popped up on the large man's left shoulder.

"Ohhh, I might get to have some fun here," another males voice called out. He was wearing a normal black robe. His bald head shining in the sun and his arms resting on the sword that was balanced on his shoulders behind his head.

"Yo Pinky, let's fight," he called out, his eyes on Natsu. Now that I could see his face, I noticed that there were red markings on the edge of his eyes.

"What did you call me, Baldy?" Natsu growled, stepping forward.

"It's not bald, it's _shaven_!" the man yelled, clearly angry. I honestly didn't see the difference between them.

"Shiny, you aren't suppose to be fighting them," the pink-haired girl added in, making the bald headed man angrier.

"The lieutenant is right, Ikkaku," a more soft-spoken voice spoke up. Another…male, I think, stepped forward. He had on the same thing as the other Shinigami's, but his had part of what looked like an orange sweater at the top, covering his neck that was connected to an orange sleeve on his right arm. His black hair reached his jaw and had beautiful purple eyes with feathers on his right eye and eyebrow. _What is with all these Shinigami people having weird facial markings?_ I thought, only having seen people with facial scars, or in Gajeel's case, piercings.

Just as I thought these people couldn't any weirder, another man came forward. From what I could see, he seemed more normal than the others. He had the same uniform as Toshiro with a white scarf and white fingerless gloves. He had long black hair with part of it held up to the side by two white head pieces with three more on the top, and indifferent grey eyes. The way his eyes swept over us had me straightening my posture, reminding me of the way my father would look at me when I was slouching. _He must be from nobility_ , I thought, trying to relax my body when the others started giving me weird looks.

N-Nii-sama," I heard someone, who sounded like Rukia, whisper behind me. I looked between her and the man and noticed that the only similarity between them was their hair color. _Plus, Rukia doesn't seem to be noble. She is elegant like a heiress would be, but she doesn't seem to have the air or upbringing of one,_ I thought, then it clicked. _She must be adoptive._ I was about to ask her if she was when Ichigo's voice had me turning my attention back to the newcomers.

"Why were so many of you sent here?" He asked.

"Because Big Boobies 2 over there got caught, Gramps thought that he should send us just in case," the little girl explained, turning her dark pink eyes on me and smiling.

"Also, since she already seems to have a few of these keys, the Captain-Commander wanted to make sure they would be protected," the man who was Rukia's brother added.

"We could've handled it," Ichigo mumbled before turning to me. "Lucy, this is Kenpachi and Yachiru," he began introducing him, starting off with the eye-patch guy and little girl. "That's Ikkaku," pointing to the bald head. "Yumichika," the pretty one. "And that's Byakuya," the quiet one.

"We should get going," Toshiro said, walking toward the gate, the others following him as I turned to my friends.

"I'll see you guys when I get back. Try not to cause too much trouble," I said waving to them then stepping into the gate. Once it was closed, I turned back around to see darkness. Nervous of the lack of vision, I unconsciously grabbed on to the nearest jacket, which happened to be attached to the one person I was mad at.

"Get off of me," Grimmjow growled, moving his arm and pushing me off of him. I let go of him only to grab him again when I felt a blast of cold air.

"Blaze, I swear if you don-" he suddenly stopped talking. I felt him move then something warm landed on my shoulders. I looked to see Grimmjow's white jacket covering my body. _How long did he have this with him?_ I thought, pulling it closer when I noticed that my body was shaking.

"Keep moving Blaze, or we'll be in trouble," he whispered, his breath ghosting over my ear. As I started walking forward, I could feel Grimmjow's warmth from how close he was, his chest grazing against my back every few seconds.

"What is this place?" I finally managed to ask, trying to distract myself from the man behind me.

"This is called the Dangai. It is a dimension that Shinigami's use to travel between Soul Society and the Human World. Recently, our research division had found a way to combine a piece of the Dangai with a piece of the Garganta to travel between other worlds," Rukia explained.

"Does it have a time difference from your world?" I asked, curiosity taking over.

"Yes, it does. One hour in the outside worlds equal 2,000 hours in here, but since staying in here for long periods of time can mess with the time distortion, the Kototsu stops anyone from doing that."

"What is that?" I asked looking around, not wanting to run into this Kototsu.

"It's a large sweeper that will kill anyone or anything that touches it. Which a pain in the ass when your trying to get to Soul Society," Ichigo answered, irritation on his face. I wonder if he's faced this Kototsu. Now I began to get nervous, wondering if we would run into it.

"Don't worry, Big Boobies 2. The Dan-Dan only appears once every seven days. We won't see it today, besides, we're almost in Soul Society," the little pink-haired called out just as I saw a white light up ahead. As I steeped through the end of the Dangai, I was momentarily blinded by the sudden bright light but once my eyes had adjusted, I was surprised at what I saw. A large rock wall stood in front of us, with a bunch of marble steps leading up to multiple buildings. More buildings were spread throughout the place on either side of us, walls separating the city into sections.

"Welcome to Soul Society," Ichigo said, coming up beside me. I nodded, too amazed to answer as I kept looking around. As we kept walking, I noticed the place was bustling with people in black robes, making me feel out of place in my unusual clothing. I felt like I was in a maze from the many twists and turns that we took and was completely out of breath by the time we got to our destination. I didn't get a chance to catch my breath before I was ushered into a large room crowded with people. There were seven other people that had on the same white jacket as the three that were with me and I figured out that they were captains. But who are the other people?

"Captain!" A feminine voice called out just as Toshiro fell forward, his spot being replaced by someone's chest. My eyes traveled up to see a beautiful woman with long, wavy strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. A thin golden necklace was tucked into her breasts that were almost hanging out of her black robe with a pink scarf over her shoulders.

"Matsumoto!" Toshiro's usually calm and icy voice had now turned childish as he yelled at the woman. I couldn't help but laugh at the unusual look on the young captains face.

"Is this the girl?" The blonde woman asked, my laughing seemingly attracting her attention.

"Yes, This is Lucy Heartfilia. Lucy, this is my lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto," Toshiro sighed, obviously irritated with his lieutenant.

"Hello Miss Matsumoto, it is nice to meet you," I politely said, taking pity on the small captain and keeping her attention on me.

"Oh please. Call me Rangiku, your making me sound old," she insisted. "Come on. The meeting doesn't start until a few minutes. Why don't I introduce you to the others?" I didn't get a chance to reply before she was already dragging me away.

By the time the meeting had started, I had already met four of the surrounding people- two captains and two Arrancar. Harribel, a short blonde haired girl with aqua green eyes and dark tanned skin. She had her jacket zipped up, covering most of her face. She was quiet most of the time, but she seemed like someone I could get along with. The second was a small child named Nel. She had short green hair, and a mask sitting on the top of her head. Wide hazel eyes with a large scar running between them and a crimson line stretching across her face below her eyes. She seemed like a good kid who, for some reason, became attached to me and has not let go of my leg yet.

The two captains had came over at the same time. A long white haired man named Ukitake was captain of the 13th division. He seemed like the type of person who would be your older brother. The second man had long wavy brown hair and grey eyes. He wore a pink flowered coat draped over his shoulders with a straw hat. He said his name was Kyoraku, captain of the 8th division. He kind of reminded me of Loke and Hibiki with the way he tried to flirt with me.

As the meeting started, the captains lined up in two rows across from each other, their respective lieutenants standing behind them. The Arrancars, with the exception of Nel who was still attached to me, Ichigo, Ikkaku and Yumichika were leaning against the wall behind me, apparently guarding the door. An old man with a long white beard and scars over his bald head sat in a chair at the front of the room, a cane resting in his hands in front of him. Rangiku told me that his name was Genryusai Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander and captain of the 1st division.

"Everyone here is not allowed to repeat any of this information out side of this room. Understood?" After receiving nod from everyone, the old man turned to me and said, "Now Miss Heartfilia, I have a few questions for you."

"Of course," I replied, straightening my posture and raising my head as all eyes turned to me.

"From my understanding of what Captain Hitsugaya has reported, you are the only one from your world that is able to enter ours. Why is that?"

"At first I wasn't sure, but I have a theory. Everyone in this world is a spirit, correct?"

"More accurately we are souls," someone said.

"Yes, but spirits and souls mean the same thing. My theory is that since everyone here is a spirit, your world accepts me as a spirit due to my magic."

"What do you mean?" a deep voice asked and I looked over to see a wolf standing with the captains, his yellow eyes bearing into me. I pulled out my keys and held them up so everyone could see.

"My magic is Celestial Spirit Magic. These keys all hold a different spirit that I can call on in battle. Since this place is another spirit world, due to my magic, it automatically accepted me as a spirit." Many people began nodding their heads, understanding what I was saying.

"And you are the only person in your world who can summon these spirits?" the Captain-Commander asked.

"No, there is one other person who can use the same type of magic as me, but I do not think she is connected to the current events."

"Speaking of current events, I have heard you already have three of these Demon Keys. Would you mind letting us meet them?" The old man asked, but I could tell he wasn't giving me an option. I inwardly sighed and pulled out Beelzebub's key when a beeping noise echoed through the room. A man with a painted black and white face pulled out some kind of weird device.

"What is that, Captain Kurotsuchi?" The Commander asked.

"I made a device that could detect where one of these keys are, but with everyone's spiritual pressure in one place, the signal is not clear." He sounded exasperated as he answered. That's when I felt the familiar pull that could only belong to a key, but this felt different. It felt fainter, like it was further way.

"Can you get a general location on it?"

"It says that it is in Seireitei." _If it is in this city, then shouldn't the pull be stronger?_ I thought confused. _Unless it is…_ My eyes widened as a thought came to me.

"Captain-Commander. Are there any tunnels below Seireitei by any chance?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys, I am so, so, so, so sorry it has taken me so long to update. At lot has happened with family issues and then schoolstarting, I just hadn't found the time to write. Thanks for reviewing and wanting more updates, that makes happy that you guys love my story. There is some GrimmjowxLucy moments in this chapter, so yeah. Hope you enjoy:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

"Yes, the-" I didn't give him a chance to finish before I was running out the door, leaving behind a room of confused captains and lieutenants, and letting the pull of the key guide me. Footsteps pounded behind me, but I ignored them as I made my way through the twisting streets until I came to a dead end. I looked around, confused, not seeing any way to get below ground. I turned to the people who had followed, not surprised to see Ichigo, Renji and Rukia. I was a little surprised to see that Grimmjow and Nel had followed since one seems to hate me and the other had just met me.

"I feel the key here, but I don't see any way to get underground," I answered the looks they were giving me. Rukia gave me a smile and walked over to the wall before bending down and lifting one of the tile pieces, revealing a pitch dark hole.

"These tunnels run all throughout Seireitei with multiple entrances. You just have to know where to look," she said, jumping into the hole. The others followed her, jumping in one at a time until it was just Nel and I. I looked down into the hole, suddenly becoming nervous when I couldn't see the bottom.

"Its not that scawy, Lushy," Nel said as she moved forward and jumped in. I heard a string of curses that sounded like Ichigo, arguing with Nel about her habit of always landing on him. I let out a small laugh, feeling a less nervous, and before I thought anymore about it, jumped into the darkness. Wind blew through my hair and I waited to hit the floor, but instead, I crashed into something hard.

I glanced down to see who I landed on, but it was hard to tell in the dark. "What the hell!" an angry shout had me freezing as I recognized the voice and feel the glare he was giving me. I squeaked and quickly jumped off of Grimmjow's chest, moving as far away from his as I could.

"Watch where you're landing," he warned and I could only nod, sighing as he turned away. _Why is it always him that I end up with in those kinds of situation,_ I questioned myself. _I'm sure if Mira was here she'd say its fate and start dreaming about babies._ I cringed at that thought.

"Which way do we go Lucy?" Rukia asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the pull that had suddenly gotten stronger.

"This way," I said, walking forward, but stopped when I couldn't see in front of me.

"Does anyone have some kind of light?" I heard some shuffling and felt someone stand beside me before a voice said, "Shakkaho." A small red flame appeared, lighting the hall and illuminating the person's face beside me, who happened to be Renji.

"Aha. Did you know you could use Kido for simple things like this?" Renji asked, sounding proud of himself.

"Yet you can never make it the way it's suppose to be," Ichigo said, his voice holding a little pity.

"What was that!?" Renji yelled, turning to face Ichigo. His loud voice had me covering my ears as it echoed off the walls.

"Shut the hell up," Grimmjow growled, irritated, glaring at the red-head. Renji looked like he was going to argue when something large crashed above, shaking the ground violently. Everything was quiet for a moment when a low whining sound directed our attention to the ceiling. Cracks were weaving their way across in different directions before eventually stopping on the other side of the tunnel.

"Look what you did, Renji. Your annoying voice cracked the ceiling," Ichigo teased. Renji's face started to turn red from anger, but our attention was directed back to the ceiling when a groaning sound echoed around us before it abruptly came crashing down on us. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as everyone began moving out of the way, yet I stood frozen in place, my legs unwilling to move. Large chunks of earth began falling towards me when suddenly Grimmjow was inches in front of me, the speed of his movement causing us to fly backwards just in time as the pieces hit the ground where we stood.

I coughed as dust settled around us and tried to sit up, only to realize that something heavy was on top of me. I squirmed, trying to get out from under the object when it made a groaning noise. I froze as I felt something tickle my face and glanced up to see strands of blue hair covering my vision. _What kind of earth has blue hair and groans?_ I thought when my mind clicked and I remembered that Grimmjow had saved me. _And once again, I end up in an awkward position with him_ , I inwardly sighed, but couldn't help the heat that was rising to my cheeks as he continued to lay on top of me. _Thank Mavis no one is here to see this._ My mind instantly thought of Mira and my earlier thoughts. I shivered, thanking Mavis that she wasn't here.

"Damn, you really are a magnet for trouble," Grimmjow's gruff voice brought me out of my silent prayers to Mavis to see him looking down at me. I expected him to be glaring, but instead his eyes held amusement and something else that I couldn't place. My heart was pounding rapidly as we continued to stare at each other and I began to worry that he could feel it. I tried to look away but my eyes refused, becoming lost in his hypnotic gaze once again.

"Blaze," his voice sounded deeper, with more emotion than he usually shows. I waited for him to continue, but the trance we were under was broken when a voice shouted, "Yo, Lucy, Grimmjow. Are you guys okay?" It sounded like Ichigo, but it was hard to tell since it was muffled. Grimmjow growled and stood, pulling me up with him before stalking over to where Ichigo's voice came from.

"Shut the hell up, Kurosaki," his tone going back to its usual indifference.

"I should've known you'd be fine, but what about Lucy? Where is she?" Ichigo grumbled the first part before concern took over.

"She's fine. Now how the hell are we suppose to get out of here?" Grimmjow demanded, looking at the wall of earth that was separating us from the others.

"I don't know. Any attack that we do could make the tunnels collapse more."

"What if I just use a cero?"

"Did you not hear what I said!? Are you trying to kill us?" Grimmjow let out a crazed laugh, his hand lighting up. Thinking he was about to use the cero attack, I quickly grabbed his arm, forcing him to lose concentration and glare at me.

"If you use that, we'll be buried under here," I said, glaring back. We kept glaring at each other, my mind picturing the expression he gave me a few minutes ago.

"Lucy, Grimmjow," Rukia's voice broke our glaring contest and we both turned to the sound of it. "Hollows have entered Seireitei and there have been a couple sightings of Arrancar. We have been ordered to return."

"How the hell are we suppose to get out then?" Grimmjow once again demanded, yet excitement lacing his voice.. Geez, he's just as bad as Natsu when it comes to fighting.

"You and Lucy are to continue looking for the key. If there really are Arrancar here, then this attack could be a diversion for them to find the key. Since you are with Lucy, you need to protect her and the keys," Rukia told him. As if knowing he would protest, Ichigo spoke up. "It's an order, Grimmjow. Right now, finding that key is top priority and Lucy is the only one who can find it." Grimmjow cursed under his breath and turned to walk down the tunnel.

"Lucy," Rukia called out. "Once you find the key, tell Grimmjow to call for a Hell Butterfly and someone will come to get you."

"Okay," I yelled and rushed after the blue-haired man who was farther up ahead.

"Grimmjow, wait up!" He didn't stop, but his pace did slow down so I could catch up to him and took the lead as the pull began to guide me. It was silent as we walked and my mind began to think over what happened. _What was that about? The look he gave me…I never thought he could look like that, so open and vulnerable, the opposite of how he usually is. And the way his muscular chest felt pressed against mine._ My heart started pounding again and my face began to heat up. I shook my head, clearing it. _I don't know what's going on, but I need to stop thinking about it and focus on keeping my promise . Plus, there may be Arrancar here and I can't let them get the other Demons._ I picked up my pace a little, continuing through the maze of never-ending tunnels.

"So, what made you decide to come to Soul Society?" I asked, trying to start a conversation and break the silence. I felt my eyes widen at what I had said and quickly went on. "I-I'm sorry, y-you don't have to answer. I just asked the first thing that came into my head." I silently cursed myself for not thinking this through, and felt my face heat up from embarrassment. _Nice, Lucy. Its just like you to ask about something personal,_ I berated myself.

"I didn't want to take orders from someone that I hated," he spoke up. My eyes widened again, surprised that he answered.

"Then why did you?"

"Not like I had a choice. He had some kind of weird power that made you listen to whatever he said."

"Then why come to Soul Society? You still have to take orders." I was curious about why someone who hated taking orders like him, decided to come to a place that mainly lived for orders.

"Che, I didn't want to," he grumbled bitterly. "But this place is more lenient about what you do, so you have a little more freedom. Plus there are a lot of strong opponents here that I can fight everyday." I laughed at that.

"You really do love fighting, huh?" I rolled my eyes at the excited grin that appeared on his face.

"You sound just like Natsu. Always wanting to challenge the strongest person around. Though he usually gets beat within five seconds," I laughed a little.

"Don't compare me to that pink headed idiot." A small smile found its way to my face, feeling relieved that he didn't ignore me and delighted that he told me a little about himself. We fell into a more comfortable silence as we continued through the maze, turning down a few more tunnels before coming to a dead end.

"Are you sure its here, Blaze? I see no place to hide a key." Grimmjow questioned, his voice filled with doubt as he looked around.

"Yes, I'm sure." I moved toward the wall at the end, the pull still guiding me.

"Maybe your key detector is messed up," Grimmjow teased, following behind me. I turned around and glared at his amused face. I puffed out my cheek, not even bothering to answer except with a muttered "Whatever," and kept searching. I continued to roam my hands over the side of the stones until I felt my fingers collided with something sticking out. I turned my attention to the source and found the bow of a key protruding out of the wall. Hesitantly, I took hold of it and pulled slightly, but it didn't come out. I pulled a little harder, nothing. I kept pulling and pulling, but nothing happened.

"It won't come out," I said, beginning to feel frustrated. Grimmjow stood behind me and reached over my shoulder. I froze at the close proximity of our bodies, but watched as he tried to pull the key from the wall. Nothing. It didn't even budge. I sighed and leaned forward to inspect it. It was black just like the others with a green symbol which had a large circle with a smaller one inside that had an arrow at the top pointing to the left as if it was in a continuous loop. Getting an idea, I grabbed the key again and turned it to the left. At first, nothing happened, but then the key shifted slightly. I continued to turn the key until it became loose before finally coming out of the wall.

"Yes!" I squealed, jumping up excitedly.

"I still don't understand how you can get so excited over a stupid key," Grimmjow said, sounding bored. I leveled a glare at him, ready to tell him off when a new voice spoke up.

"So that's the stupid key we're searching for. Tch."


	17. Chapter 17

**Yay! Updated two stories in one night! So happy, but now I'm tired. I really wanted to update these stories for you guys since its the holidays, but hopefully I'll be able to update more since school is almost over for the semester. Anyway, thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. Hope you enjoy the chapter:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

We both turned to see a tall man with a lanky body. He was wearing a white jacket like Grimmjow's, but had a spoon-like hood around his neck. His black hair reached his shoulders with a left eye that was covered by a large white eyepatch and the other was so slanted, I could barely see the dark gray color of the eye. A large smile was placed on his face as he looked at us, a huge double crescent sword resting behind his back.

"Holy shit! If I knew that the girl we were after was as hot as you, I would have gotten Aizen to let me come after you instead of that cock-blocking Ulquiorra," he said, his lecherous eye grazing over me before resting on my chest. "Damn, you got a bigger rack than Harribel," he continued, taking a step forward. Grimmjow let out a small growl and pushed me behind him, blocking the other man's view.

"Stay the hell away from her," Grimmjow said in a low threatening voice.

"Ohh, what's this. Grimmjow's being protective? What'd she do to make you act like that? Is she that good in bed? I can't wait to find out," the man licked his lips as he tried to look behind Grimmjow who let out another growl.

"What are you doing here, Nnoitra?" Grimmjow spat his name out, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Aizen got a hint that the chick was in Soul Society and thought it would be a good idea to let some Menos run around while we try to find her. Now that I know what she looks like, I'm glad I found her first. Maybe I could have a little fun with her before I hand her over to Aizen." Nnoitra's grin got even bigger as I shivered in fear and disgust, wanting to get out of here. I began looking everywhere, trying to find a way to escape when Grimmjow drew out his sword and charged at Nnoitra.

"Grimmjow!" I yelled in fear as Nnoitra swung his sword in front of him with impossible speed. Metal striking metal rung throughout the tunnels as I stood there helplessly watching them. Grimmjow jumped back toward me when Nnoitra swung his crescent sword at him, barley missing his chest.

"Lucy," Grimmjow whispered just loud enough for me to hear. "I want you to run and get as far away from here as possible while I distract him."

"I'm not going to leave you," I protested, suddenly feeling protective of the blue-haired man. _We may fight, but he's an ally and I'll be damned if I leave a friend behind. I didn't when Juvia trapped me in her water at the Tower of Heaven or when Natsu was trapped on Tenrou, and I sure as hell am not going to start now,_ I thought pulling out my keys and yelling, "Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo! Open, Demon Gate, Sloth!" A gold and white light filled the small area as Loke and Belphegor appeared.

"Hello, my beautiful Princess," Loke said, already turning into a flirt while Belphegor stared at us, a small smile on his face as he said, "Hello Demoness."

"I need your help fighting the ugly guy over there," I told them as I pulled out my whip and flicked it. They nodded and turned to the fight that was taking place in front of us.

"Alright, Belphegor sneak up on Nnoitra and when you see an opening, blast him toward me and I'll wrap my whip around him. Then Loke punch him with your strongest attack." They nodded again and Belphegor faded into a mist that floated over to the two men who were too busy fighting to notice them. I inhaled sharply as Grimmjow barely missed the sword that cut through the space his chest was just at. They both continued fighting, the metal of their swords scraping against each other, sparks flying from the hard impacts.

"What's wrong, Grimmjow? Not able to keep up?" Nnoitra taunted, his smile widening as Grimmjow swung his sword down, cutting down Nnoitra's chest and stomach. I let out a small breath I didn't realize I was holding. _A hit like that should weaken him,_ I thought, but I spoke too soon. My blood ran cold as I watched Grimmjow's sword hit the ground, not a scratch from where he had cut showing.

"How-" I started to say, but was cut off as Grimmjow let out a string of curses.

"Hahahahaha. Did you really forget about my Heirro. It is the strongest of all the Arrancar," Nnoitra exclaimed, laughing at the looks on our faces. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind sliced through the small space, somehow effectively cutting the disgusting man's body.

"What?" He asked, surprised as he looked down at the blood that was dripping down his body. Not giving him a minute to recover, I quickly flicked my whip around him, pulling him toward me.

"Well, if you wanted me that badly, all you had to do was ask. There's no need to be forceful, though I quite like it," Nnoitra suggested, recovering quickly from his mild shock. I snorted in disgust and looked over to Loke who had his fist lighted up. Not having enough time to dodge, Loke managed to land a powerful blow straight to his face, sending him crashing through a few walls.

"Damn, Blaze. I knew you were pretty tough, but I didn't know you had it in you to actually beat someone's ass," Grimmjow laughed as he came up beside me, looking at the distance Nnoitra flew through.

"Just so you know, I can handle myself pretty well. I'm not as useless as people seem to think," I said, puffing out my cheek, annoyed that he assumed I couldn't fight.

"Hey, I never said you were useless. I know you have guts, standing up to Yammy and Ulquiorra was enough proof. But being able to pull one on Nnoitra while cutting up his supposedly strong Heirro proves of the strength you have. In fact, you and I should fight," Grimmjow grinned, getting into a fighting stance. I blinked at him, thinking he was just kidding when he ran forward, sword raised above his head. I let out a small scream and rolled to the side, turning to glare the psychotic man.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I yelled, dodging as he swung at me again. "I am not the enemy, you idiot!" I dodged again, backing up until my back hit the wall. Grimmjow stalked toward me, his gait slow and steady, an infuriating smirk spreading across his face.

"Grimmjow," I quietly said his name, afraid if I spoke too loud he would pounce. _He really is like a cat._ "What are you doing?" He didn't answer. He continued to move forward until he had me pinned closer to the wall, the cold stones freezing my back. His light blue eyes pierced mine, our breaths mingling from how close we were. _What's gotten into him?_ I thought, confused about the sudden mood change. Before anything could happen, if anything was going to, an annoying voice cut through the tunnel.

"Well, it seems I'm interrupting something. Oh well. Once I win, I'll have my way with her and she'll only be screaming my name," Nnoitra laughed, his hungry eye roaming over me. Grimmjow growled as he looked back at the man with a glare that could give Erza a run for her money. Before Grimmjow could move, Loke and Belphegor came out of the shadows and attacked Nnoitra in a combined attack. Smoke filled the small area causing me to cough as I waved my hand through the air, trying to clear the dust out of my face. A laugh echoed around the room and I watched helplessly as a large sword cut through both spirits, sending them back to their worlds.

"Loke! Belphegor!" I shouted as I watched them disappear, struggling against the hold Grimmjow had on me. "Grimmjow, let go of me," I growled at him, trying to break free.

"Are you an idiot! That's exactly what he wants. Your little spirits are fine. Y-" he was cut off as a sickening sound came from behind him. Grimmjow grunted as he fell forward on me, his body going limp.

"Grimmjow?" I raised my arms, which were finally free from his grasp, and put them on his shoulders. "Grimmjow?" I gently shook him, trying to gain his attention. The little action caused the tall man to start toppling to the side, the weight of his body pulling me down with him.

"Grimmjow?!" I yelled, starting to panic as I put my arms around him to hold him up when I felt something warm seep through my fingers. I pulled my hand back to see it stained with blood. I looked over his shoulder to see a large gash cut into his skin, blood soaking his jacket.

"Grimmjow, come on answer me," I begged him, worry and panic setting in as I pressed my hands against his back, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Hahaha. Don't worry so much girlie. You don't need him, I can give you more than he can. All you have to do is come here," Nnoitra's voice bounced off the walls. I frantically looked around, not seeing the perverted man anywhere.

"No way in hell," I answered, cradling Grimmjow's head to my chest with my other hand. _Dammit Lucy, come on. Just take a deep breath and calm down. Grimmjow isn't going to die, he's too tough for that,_ I mentally told myself, trying to calm my nerves that were running all over the place.

"Tsk, dumb bitch. I'm tired of giving you chances. I'll just take you by force," Nnoitra said. Suddenly a hand grabbed my hair and yanked me to the side. I yelped in pain as I was dragged across the cold floor, Grimmjow's head falling from my lap and landing hard on the floor. I struggled against the tight hold, trying hard to escape.

"Let go of me, you bastard," I growled, trying to raise my head only to have Nnoitra's grip tighten. He stopped walking, pulling me up to face him. Before I could register what he was doing, a loud slapping noise echoed around the tunnel. My face stung from the force of the blow, my head turning in the opposite direction of the slap. My eyes watered and I lifted my hand to cover my sore cheek.

"You listen here, little bitch. You will do as I say. You're no good for nothing except laying around and being used for your body. Now stop struggling or you'll be wishing I slapped you like that again," Nnoitra growled, pulling me behind him. Before he moved any further, a hand clamped down on his wrist. I followed the arm up to see a pissed off Arrancar.

"Let. Go. Of. Her." Grimmjow slowly gritted out behind clenched teeth, his grip tightening and glowing a dull red. Nnoitra winced in pain as he let go of my hair, holding his wrist that was beginning to welt, almost as if he had been burned. Before Nnoitra could react, Grimmjow had already pulled me into his chest, his hand raised. A red glow began to emit from his hand.

"You should have thought about who you're dealing with, Nnoitra," Grimmjow spat out. "Cero," he whispered and a large red beam shot out of his hand. It collided with Nnoitra, sending him flying through more walls until I couldn't see anything except the trail of smoke left in his wake. I let out a small sigh of relief, but it didn't last long when Grimmjow collapsed against me, his breath ragged as his body began to form a sheen of sweat.

"Grimm-" was all I said when the ground started shaking and the roof began collapsing again. I cursed at Grimmjow's stupidity for using a freaking cero inside a tunnel as I quickly moved both of us out of the way.

"You damn, idiot. Ichigo told you not to use a cero. Why do you never listen?" I questioned him, not expecting an answer. I sighed and slid down the wall, pulling Grimmjow's head into my lap. _Though it did save us, we're trapped inside a small space and by the sounds of it, there is still a huge fight going on up there. It'll be a while before someone comes looking for us._ I glanced down at the blue-haired man. His breaths were becoming more fast and ragged, his hair clinging to his forehead from the sweat. _I need to get him out of here and to a healer,_ I thought, looking around for a way to get out, but all I saw was rubble and walls.

I leaned the back of my head against the wall, feeling hopeless and exhausted. _I couldn't even help a friend when he needs it, how am I suppose to help a whole world?_ I felt tears prick my eyes as I thought about what Nnoitra said. _Maybe the only thing I am good at is using my body. I let out a hollowed laugh, that's exactly how it used to be when I lived at the manor. I was only good enough if I was able to marry for benefit and produce an heir._ I closed my eyes, trying to hold in the tears, running my hands through Grimmjow's hair as I tried to calm myself.

Suddenly I felt something against my side and lowered my hand to feel one of my keys was warm. I unhooked it and looked at it, realizing it was the new one we found. Not knowing what else to do, I quietly called out, "Open, Demon Gate, Greed." I wasn't sure how I knew which key this was, but I didn't have time to think about it as a green smoke filled the small area.

"Hmm. Seems you have a problem here," a low deep voice muttered through the quiet space.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey, guys! I know its been a while but I finally found time to update. Yay! Anyway, I wanted to give a shout out to Animefreakt83 who is using my demon keys in her story. If you guys liked the demon keys, you should go read her's, its called The Fairy Wand. Hope you all had a good holiday and here is the next chapter:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

The smoke gradually cleared and in front of me stood a tall, slightly tan man. He was wearing the same black leather pants as the other demons, but had a dark green vest with the middle button clasped just beneath his muscular chest. His hands were shoved into his pockets, the gold bracelets on both his wrists jingling as he shifted his weight. My eyes traveled up to see a gold chain necklace around his neck and his long, pale white hair was tied at the base of his neck into a low ponytail. My eyes continued up until I was met with light grey eyes that were studying me in return.

"So you must be the little mage that Beelzebub kept talking about," the demon stated, moving to sit on one of the rocks that was blocking us in.

"Uh, yeah. I guess so," I lamely said, surprised that he knew who I was. I watched him as he played with the small pieces of rubble that was lying on the ground. _He seems almost like a little kid,_ I thought, watching him pick up a few pieces and juggle them between his fingers.

"I'm guessing you would like to make a contract with me, Master?" He asked, not seeming interested in the conversation.

"Yeah, if you would like to, but don't call me Master. My other spirits call me Lucy or Princess, though the other demons have taken to calling me Demoness. I'll accept anything but Master," I replied, causing the demon to finally look at me with a hint of interest.

"You are different from the others I have known. You are kind and forgiving." He stood up and walked over to me, placing his hand against the wall beside my head. "Even the earth has acknowledged your beautiful personality and I accept our contract." Unsure of what to say, I nodded and pulled out my notebook, careful not to move Grimmjow.

"So what days are you available and what is your magic?"

"I am Mammon, Demon of Greed and I am available whenever you need me. I have the ability to control the earth and in my Demon form my senses are enhanced and I am able to join elements with Belphegor, Asmodeus, and Leviathan to make any natural disaster." I was writing down everything he said when Grimmjow moved his head, quietly groaning at the pain he was in.

"I need to get you out of here," I mumbled to myself, brushing the hair out of his face.

"Lucy, if I may, I can remove this debris and lead you out of this tunnel. This man needs immediate care. I do not know any first aid, but I believe Lucifer and Beelzebub do." At the mention of their names, a yellow and purple light filled the area and the two demons stepped out.

"My Lady, are you alright?" Lucifer asked, checking me over for any injuries.

"I'm fine, but Grimmjow was stabbed in the back," I replied, helping Beelzebub turn Grimmjow on his side. He grunted in pain, his breathing becoming more labored and his clothes soaked from his sweat.

"This is serious. It needs to be cleaned and wrapped before any infection sets in, but I do not have any material with me," Lucifer said, just as another light filled the room and Virgo came out, handing over some water and bandages to the blond demon.

"I over heard what was happening and came to deliver these. Punishment, Hime?" She asked, looking at me with her head turned to the side. Despite the situation I laughed a little, grateful to Virgo for always helping me.

"Thank you, Virgo and no, no punishment. You can go back now." I smiled at her as she disappeared, shaking my head at her before sighing.

"Damn, I'm so useless. If I was stronger I could just call Gemini and have them turn into Wendy to heal him. I'm completely drained right now. I don't even know how I'm keeping you out Mammon."

I glanced at the white haired demon who was watching us calmly and said, "You are stronger than you think, Lucy. Even though you are low on magic right now, you are using every last bit of it despite the pain you are in to save your friend," he turned his light grey eyes on me and I could see years of wisdom dancing in them. "Anybody can have the brute strength you are referring to, but the ability to put your own pain aside and to think about another in their time of need is a kind of strength that very few have, and you are one of them Lucy."

"Alright, I bandaged him up the best I could, but he needs to get to a healer soon," Lucifer spoke up, carefully picking up Grimmjow, placing Grimmjow's arm across his shoulders while Beelzebub went to his other side. After Grimmjow was secure between the two demons, I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out from exhaustion. I sat on the ground, struggling to try and stand up when a warm arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me up. The smell of pine and lavender filled my nose and I relaxed into the body as he began moving.

"Can you get us out of here, Mammon?" Beelzebub asked, looking at the rubble in front of us.

"Of course," Mammon's voice vibrated through his body and into me as he answered. A rumbling sound echoed around us as the stone and rocks began to shake before it all started flying around, putting themselves in the places they once occupied until the place looked like it had never been destroyed.

"Amazing," I whispered, awed at the demon's ability to reconstruct a place he had never seen before.

"I don't have any light, so I'll have to go slow. Luckily the exit isn't far from here," Mammon said, moving forward. We walked on in silence, an few groans coming from Grimmjow as Lucifer and Beelzebub carried him through the darkness.

"We're here," Mammon announced, setting me down against a wall before raising his hands and opening them, splitting the ground above us in half. Once we could see light, he moved his hands downward and slowly raised them before pushing them upward, causing the ground to rise and slope up.

"I thought a slope would be easier to carry your friend instead of stairs," he explained as he helped me up and began walking upwards. When I reached the top, I gasped at the damage that was done. The surrounding buildings were completely demolished, nothing but stone and bricks littering the ground. Smoke was coming out of the few buildings that were left standing, and a huge crater dented the path a few feet in front of us. I tried looking around for somebody to help us, but I couldn't see anyone through the wreckage. Coughing caught my attention and I turned to see Grimmjow coughing, blood coming out of his mouth. I ran to him, taking off one of my sleeves and wrapping it around his head, covering his mouth and nose.

"Lucy, we need to get Grimmjow away from the smoke," Beelzebub said over Grimmjow's coughing. I nodded and started moving forward, but ran into something large, soft and purple. I pushed against the object and followed the purple cloth up to see a skeleton head with a crown, its hollow black eyes staring down at me. Not able to look away, I didn't see its bony hands come up and grip my wrist until I felt the pain of my skin being burned off. I screamed in pain, struggling to get out of his grip when a purple-black arm grabbed the creatures hands and pried them off of me. Beelzebub stood in front of me in his demon form.

"Lucy, get back to Mammon and Lucifer."

"I'm not letting you fight him on your own. I'm fighting with you," I argued, reaching for my whip, holding back the whimper of pain I felt as the leather touched my hand.

"No you're not. You can barely hold your whip, you can hardly move, and you can't call any spirits. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but with the way you are right now you'll just get in the way, " he argued back. With his attention on me, Beelzebub didn't have any time dodge the axe the creature held, and was sent flying into one of the smoke-filled buildings.

"Beelzebub!" I screamed, feeling anger well up in me. Ignoring the pain I was feeling, I attacked the monster, pushing him back as he tried to defend. I flicked my wrist up, sending the whip toward his crown and hitting it, knocking it to the ground and breaking the gold metal into tiny fragments. In an instant the creature had me up by my neck, its black eyes boring into me.

"You will pay for breaking my, the King of Hueco Mundo's, crown, you little peasant," it threatened in a hollow voice. I struggled against his hold, scratching at the skeletal hands as my neck began to burn. I felt the flesh melting and thought I was going to die when three shot rang through the air and I fell to toward the ground. A white sleeved arm wrapped around my waist before I hit the ground and gently set me down. I crumpled in a heap, coughing and trying to get air to my lungs which made my neck burn even more.

"Barragan," I heard a voice say and turned my blurry eyes to see a dark brown haired man in a gray-furred lined jacket with gray elbow-length fur armbands, black pants, and gray knee-high fur boots. In his hands are two black pistols that are resting against his legs.

"Stark," the skeletal creature replied back. They stand there staring at each other, the tense atmosphere between them was thick and smothering.

"Stark! You lazy ass! Shoot him already!" a female voice shouted and I glanced around to find the source, but saw no other female around.

"Don't want to. Too much work," the man, Stark, said raising one of his pistols.

"YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING LAZY ASS!" The female voice screamed at him from the pistol. Wow, a weapon that can actually talk, I thought surprised and wondered what other weird stuff this world has. Suddenly a loud blaring noise echoed through the streets and the skeletal man turned to walk away, but stopped and looked at us over his shoulder.

"This isn't over. Aizen wanted to deliver a message. 'This is only part of the power I hold. The time to destroy Soul Society is near and the girl will come to me soon.'" With that he opened a black hole in the street and stepped through, disappearing.

"What does he mean, Stark? Stark? STARK?! The pistol yelled when the man ignored her.

"I don't know Lilynette, but for now I think we should get them to the 4th division," Stark nodded at us before a light blinded me and a small girl appeared. She had on short briefs with a black line in the middle, arm-warmers, an open vest that showed her hollow hole in the center of her stomach, and thigh-high fur-lined boots. The majority of her light green hair was covered by a helmet that had one horn on the right and the other being broken. It covered her left eye with a flame design above it and her light pink eye was studying me.

"Come on Blondie. We'll get you guys healed, though I don't really care about Grimmjow," she muttered the last part, looking behind me to the others. I glanced back to see Grimmjow breathing even harder and the sleeve I wrapped around his mouth was now soaked in blood. I shakily got to my feet and moved toward them, removing the cloth from his face so he could breath easier.

"My Lady, I need to look at your injuries," Lucifer started, but I shook my head.

"I'm fine. Grimmjow is the one who needs help right now. We need to get him to the 4th division," I said firmly, not wanting to argue. Sensing this he nodded and started walking toward the two Espada with Mammon helping him.

"Lucy, can you walk?" Beelzebub's voice asked from behind me. I nodded, my throat hurting too much to speak anymore and began moving forward. Beelzebub helped me through the debris as we walked in silence, following the two Espada. After a few minutes of walking, we came to a building that had somehow avoided any damage and was bustling with people who were rushing around, tending to the injured.

"Lucy!" someone yelled, and a head of orange ran toward me, his eyes landing on Grimmjow. "What happened to him?" he asked before looking at me, his brown eyes holding surprise and concern as he took in my appearance. "What happened to you?" he asked again. I shook my head, not wanting to risk damaging my throat more by talking.

"Alright, you can tell me later. For now lets get you to a healer." He grabbed my wrist and began pulling me toward an orange haired girl who was healing Renji. I whimpered in pain and he glanced down at my wrist, instantly letting go when he saw the burned flesh.

"I'm fine, Ichigo. Get Grimmjow looked at first. He needs it more than I do."

"But-"

"No buts. I mean it Ichigo. After he has been looked at then I'll get healed. Besides, I don't know if your world's healing will work on me. I'll just wait until we get back to the guild and have Wendy look at me," I said, looking at the blue-haired man who was getting worse.

"About that, um," Ichigo stuttered, running his hand through his hair.

"What?" I asked looking back at him, getting a bad feeling about this.

"Well, somehow, Aizen managed to mess with the Dangai and Garganta. Their not working so there is no way to get back to Earthland."


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! Finally updated, haha. I am trying my best to update more frequently, but sometimes I have a short attention span and get distracted easily, but I'm trying:) anyway, thanks for all the reviews, which is over a hundred by now. You guys have no idea how happy it makes me that you like my stories. I will try my best to update my other story, but in the mean time, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

Its been about a week since the battle and no one has found a way to get me back home. Not that I would leave yet since Grimmjow still hasn't woken up. I sighed as I sat next to the blue-haired man, studying his normally scowling face that was showing no emotion now as I willed for him to open his eyes. I held his hand in mine, feeling the warmth that said he was alive despite laying so still.

"Lucy?" a soft voice called. I turned my eyes to see Rukia's small frame in the doorway.

"Hey, Rukia," I said, turning back to Grimmjow. I heard light footsteps coming closer and felt, more than saw, Rukia sit beside me, her dark blues staring at me.

"Lucy, I know you are worried about him, but Grimmjow is tough. He won't die so easily." I nodded, knowing she was right, but still refused to move.

"You can't stay in here all the time. The healers say that he'll wake up eventually. You have to trust them. The Captain-Comman-"

"I don't want to attend a meeting right now nor speak with the Captain-Commander," I quickly said, cutting her off. For the past week, the Captain-Commander has sent various people to come and get me for the Captain's meetings. I knew he wanted to know what happened in the tunnels and to meet the demons, but I was not in the mood.

I heard Rukia sigh before she continued. "Lucy. We know Aizen had sent us a message. Stark has already told us, but we need to take certain measures to protect you and the keys. And in order to do that, we need you to be there." She reached over and placed a small hand on mine before removing it when I winced. The skin was still tender since I was having to let my injuries heal on their own, something we learned the hard way.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _"What do you mean there's no way to get back to Earthland?" I asked, panic setting in at having to be stuck in a strange world._

 _"The Captain-Commander ordered a group to following the other Espada's when they retreated, but when Harribel went to open a Garganta, nothing happened. Even Stark, Lilynette, and Nel tried, but no one could open it. Then Rangiku came and said that she couldn't get to the Human World because she couldn't open the Dangai. Kurotsuchi has been working on it since, but nothing yet."_

 _My breathing became heavy as I listened, panic started spreading through me as I thought of what would happen if I could never see Fairy Tail again. Unlike when Lisanna was gone, there is no alternate version of Fairy Tail here. I shook my head, trying to get rid of my thoughts. Fairy Tail knew I was alive and where I was at. They would find a way to get me home, if they knew what had happened. As if reading my mind, Loke suddenly appeared, silencing Ichigo from his rambling, a serious expression on his face for once._

 _"Princess, since this world seems similar to the Celestial Spirit World, I can see if I can travel to Fairy Tail and let them know what happened," he said and disappeared when I nodded. It wasn't even ten minutes later when he came back, looking pale._

 _"Were you able to get through?" I questioned him, ignoring the burning in my throat._

 _"Yea, and they aren't happy." He turned to Ichigo who also paled at the seriousness on Loke's face. "You better be prepared when you come back. They told me to pass along a message. 'If anything happens to Lucy, we'll be coming after ALL your heads." Ichigo nodded, a small spark of fear in his brown eyes, probably thinking of who sent the message. I knew of only one or two people who would say that and that was Erza and Laxus. Natsu would probably have said something about burning everything and Gray would have said something about ice._

 _"Right now, Levy and Freed have shut themselves in the library, looking for anything that could help. They even contacted Hibiki, Rufus, and Yukino to see if they know anything," he continued turning back to me. "They are gonna try everything on their end to bring you back, Lucy." I nodded, feeling the panic disappear and I sighed, wincing as the cold air went down my throat._

 _"We should get you fixed," Ichigo said, placing a hand on my back and guiding me over to an orange-haired girl who was currently healing Grimmjow. His face didn't seem as pale anymore and there wasn't as much blood as before._

 _"Inoue," Ichigo called, getting the girls attention._

 _"Hey, Kurosaki-kun. Do you need me to heal you too? You don't look injured," the girl began rambling, kind of reminding me of Wendy._

 _"No, but Lucy does. She has some cuts and bruises, but her wrists and neck seemed to have been burned," he explained as the girl's brown eyes landed on me. Her eyes widened when she saw the ugly marks of the peeling flesh before answering,_

 _"Of course. I'm almost done with Grimmjow. I've healed all his injuries, so he should be fine in a few days." A heavy weight lifted off my shoulders at her words, thankful that he wouldn't die. As she finished, I watched the golden yellow light surrounding Grimmjow disappear and surround me as Inoue turned her attention on me._

 _"Thank you, Inoue-san," I choked out, my throat burning more from the words._

 _"Don't try to talk just yet, it could make it worse," she gently scolded me. "And you can call me Orihime," she introduced herself with a smile which I returned. We sat in silence as she healed me, but after a few minutes, I began getting an uncomfortable feeling. My body felt hot and my wounds felt like they were on fire._

 _"Lucy, you need to sit st-"before Orihime could finish her sentence, an intense pain filled me and I screamed. I fell over on my side, my body shaking as I watched people running to me. My vision began to go blurry and there was a ringing in my ears. I could barely feel anything, but every time someone touched me, I would scream from the burning that seared through me. This lasted for a few minutes before I finally passed out._

 _I woke up hours later, laying in an unfamiliar room. Something shifted beside me, but I couldn't hear anything at the moment. Orange hair filled my vision as a girl looked down at me before smiling and leaning back._

 _"Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san, Lucy's awake," I heard Orihime's hyper voice as my hearing started to come back._

 _"What-" I started to ask, but my throat was scratchy and dry._

 _"Don't try to talk. Here's some water," Ichigo said, helping me sit up and handing me a glass. I nodded at him and drank the whole glass, my throat feeling a little better from the cold dink. I placed the glass on the table beside me and looked at the three people gathered around my bed, expecting them to answer my unspoken question._

 _"We weren't exactly sure what happened. Orihime tried healing you, but your body reacted to her power. You kept screaming and anytime someone touched you, their hand would get burned. Unohana-san, the 4th division's captain, tried healing you after you passed out, but there was steam coming off your body from it. She didn't know what was happening, so she ordered us to bring you here on a stretcher and wait until you woke up," Ichigo explained, his eyes watching me in concern. I nodded, silently thanking him as I remembered bits of what happened._

 _"Do you have any idea what caused this? Has this happened before?" Rukia asked. I shook my head, not having an answer when a yellow light filled the room and Lucifer appeared. I scrunched my eyebrows, wondering why he was here._

 _"Seeing as how My Lady can't talk, I will answer your questions," he began. "The reason why she reacted to the healing was probably our fault. When someone contracts a demon, any healing that the mage receives afterwards has a serious reaction to the power. We think it is because when we are contracted to a mage, we somehow become connected to their body as well which could affect their healing." Seeing the confusion on our faces, he quickly continued. "For example, My Lady is used to Wendy's healing, so we are familiar with it and our magic accepts it. Since My Lady had never been healed by someone in this world, her body was not used it, and our magic reacted to it in an attempt to protect her from the unknown power." I nodded, thinking it made a little sense._

 _"It must be a double-edge sword then because it not only kept people away from her, but it hurt her in the process," Rukia stated, her voicing hardening a little which caused Lucifer to look away guiltily._

 _"There's nothing we can do about it now," Orihime piped up. "For now Lucy will have to let the injuries heal naturally. Just don't talk for a day and your throat should be fine tomorrow," she said, smiling at me. I smiled back and nodded as the others sighed. "I need to go check on my other patients, so I'll see you guys later," Orihime waved as she walked out of the room. Once she was gone, to pulled the covers back and tried to get out of bed. My legs were a little wobbly but I was able to take a step toward the door._

 _"Where are you going?" Ichigo asked, walking over and blocking my path. I gave him a look that said 'where-do-you-think-I'm-going.' An understanding look passed over his face and he sighed, gently taking my arm and leading me to the other side of the room. I looked at him confused, but followed to a curtain that was blocking that side from view. Ichigo pulled it back to reveal a bed with the man I was wanting to search for. Grimmjow's eyes were closed and his chest was slighting moving the covers as he breathed. Seeing a chair next him, I sat in it and held his hand as I watched his face._

 _"It's not your fault Lucy. Grimmjow can be a bit rash sometimes, but he won't regret protecting you. He won't die that easily," Ichigo gently reassured me. I nodded, yet I knew it was my fault._

 _Flashback ends_

* * *

Ever since then I felt guilty for what happened. I knew my spirits would have been fine, yet I tried fighting against Grimmjow to get to them which caused him to lose focus on the enemy. I sighed, the hand that wasn't holding Grimmjow's clenched into a fist around the blanket. I have not left his side since that day, even though Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and even Rangiku and Nel have tried to get me to leave and explore Soul Society, but I just told them I didn't feel like it. They knew it was an excuse not to leave Grimmjow and they didn't push it, thankfully.

It was only recently when the Captain-Commander began sending people to bring to the meetings, but I refused, saying I will go when Grimmjow woke up. I think the Commander is beginning to get impatient because he is constantly sending someone for me, including other captains and Espada.

"Lucy, you know its-" Rukia began but I cut her off once again.

"Rukia, please don't say it wasn't my fault, because it was. You weren't down there so you don't know. I will tell you guys everything, but only when Grimmjow is with me. Please?" I finally looked up at her, pleading with my eyes for her to understand. She sighed, but gave me a small, sad smile.

"Alright, I'll see if can try to get the others to let up on pestering you," she said, annoyance finding its way into her voice. I laughed a little, knowing she would do just that. As she walked toward the door, she turned back around.

"I can see one of the reasons why Fairy Tail protects you so much," she said.

"Because we're family. Family takes care of each other," I answered, confused when she shook her head.

"That's not the only reason. Its bec-" she was once again cut off when a loud voice broke through the room.

"Lucy! You need to come with me, now!" Ichigo's panicked voice shouted as he grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the door.

"Ichigo, let go! I just told Rukia I wasn't going to be coming to any meetings now." I struggled against his tight hold, trying to break free.

"This isn't about the meetings. It's-" a loud boom cut him off and he cursed under his breath as he picked up the pace.

"What's going on? Are we being attacked again?" I began asking, worry for Grimmjow flooding my chest.

"Not in the sense your thinking," another explosion had us running through the halls. "Somehow your spirit, Loke was it, came up with an idea and brought some of Fairy Tail's members here. They started demanding where you were and Natsu wouldn't listen to what I told him and he started throwing punches until the whole room was fighting." My eyes widened at the news. _Fairy Tail was here? How?,_ I thought as we came to a stop in front of the meeting room. Loud sounds of fighting were muffled behind the doors and I looked over at Ichigo and Rukia before throwing the doors open, only to be in the path of a large pillar of fire.


	20. Chapter 20

**I am so sorry for taking so long to update. With exams, school lettingnout and graduation (YAY I MADE IT!) I did not realize so much time passed. Thank you Animefrealt83 for checking on me and asking about my stories. You made me realize how long it had been since I updated. Hopefully now that I have some time I can update my stories properly and maybe put some more on here for ya'll. For now, Inhope you enjoy this chapter:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 _Why? Why the hell does this always happen to me?_ I thought, barely dodging the fire that my partner probably carelessly threw. _Damn Natsu. That boy really needs to learn some self control._ With the help of Ichigo, I stood up from where I landed and took in the sigh that was in front of me.

Chaos. That was the only word I could use to describe what I was seeing. Natsu seemed to be fighting two Captains, one who looked like Kenpachi and a man that had the face of a wolf, along with Yachiru. Erza was somehow fighting four people at once, two who I didn't recognize. Gray was in a battle with Toshiro and a few lieutenants which included Rangiku. Laxus, the Raijinshuu, and Gajeel were in various fights with others who I had briefly seen the other day. It seemed like everyone was fighting. Well, everyone except the Captain-Commander who sat in his seat, watching.

"Lushy," a scared voice called out. My eyes skimmed through the crowd, looking for the source when my eyes fell on a trembling figure hiding in the corner to my right. Nel was hiding behind Wendy who seemed to be keeping the stray attacks away. Suddenly, a large ball of magic and reiatsu spiraled toward them. Wendy sent a Sky Dragons Roar at the ball, but it was not enough to stop it. Panic began to set in her eyes as she glanced down at the small body behind her, then lowered herself to cover Nel with her body. I watched horrified as the ball spiraled toward them, but before it hit them, a tall wall of earth surrounded them and a gust of wind split the ball in two, sending it to either side of the girls.

"We felt your panic and came to see what was wrong," a low voice explained behind me. I turned to see Mammon, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Loke standing there, concern on their faces. Realizing what he meant, I turned my head back toward the girls and finally saw Belphegor standing in front of them, gently talking to them as he slowly lead them over to me.

"Wendy, Nel. Oh, Mavis. Are you two alright?" I quickly checked them over for any injuries and sighed in relief when I found none.

"Thank you. Thank you for protecting them," I told my demons as I hugged the two little girls. They nodded and looked back at the chaos that was behind me. Remembering where I was and that the majority of the people fighting were the cause for almost seriously harming Wendy and Nel, my relief immediately turned to anger. I gently pushed the two girls toward my spirits who seemed to understand and moved back. Ichigo and Rukia looked confused, but moved back as well after seeing my face.

Not caring about any attacks or reiatsu, I made my way slowly through the crowd, my anger beginning to spike as I reached the center of the room. Ignoring the sounds around me, I closed my eyes and reached deep into myself for my second origin. When I finally found it, I ripped it open and allowed my magic to pour into the room. The noise that filled the room began to lessen and I opened my eyes to find everyone staring at me.

"Lucy. Where did that power come from?" Erza asked, surprised.

"That is my second origin, Erza," I calmly answered, pulling my magic back into me before meeting the gazes of everyone in the room.

"Now that I have your attention," I started, glancing around until I found the person who started all this, "Natsu will you come here, please?" I asked nicely, thought my anger was starting to break through, causing a few people to back away. Not seeming to feel my anger, Natsu ran forward and hugged me tight.

"You're okay. Loke said you were, but I wanted to see for myself, so I made him bring me here but Popsicle, Metalface, and everyone else wanted to c-" I didn't give him a chance to finish before I pulled out of his hug and Lucy Kicked the hell out of him, sending him crashing in to the wall behind the Captain-Commander.

"What the hell, Lucy? What did I-" he stopped talking when he looked at my face, finally sensing the anger I was putting off.

"You. Are. A. FUCKING IDIOT! Ichigo said that he was trying to explain what happened, but you _had_ to start a fight! These people are our allies, Natsu. Our nakama. But you were fighting them like they were the enemy!" I yelled at him. He flinched and averted his gaze, but I wasn't through. I turned toward the rest of the room who seemed deathly quiet.

"And then you, not just him, but all of you, turned this place into a war zone. You all seemed to be attacking each other with no care where your attacks went!" I yelled, my eyes scanning everyone's face.

"Is that what has you all worked up? Useless. And here I was thinking of using you as a test subject," Kurotsuchi said, not fazed. I felt my anger spike again as I faced the multicolored man.

"Listen here, Cowface. I do not care about yours or anyone else's attacks. That is not the problem. What has me so _'worked up'_ is the fact that these attacks almost harmed Wendy and Nel, two little girls who did _not_ need to be caught up in this ridiculous fight." My voice had rose an octave at the end as I tried to rein in the anger that was trying to bubble out.

"That would have been regrettable, but they are two girls who know how to fight and if they cannot protect themselves, then it would have been a lesson," the Captain-Commander's voice rung through the room. My body stiffened, his words played in my head and my anger completely evaporated as I turned to face him.

"What did you say?" I quietly asked, hiding my face with my hair. I barely heard my guildmates tell the others to step back or Happy calling my name, all my attention was on the old man sitting in from of me.

"These girls have been in battles and can fight. They do not need anyone to protect them. They would have been fine on their own. Y-"

"That is fucking bullshit," I seethed, interrupting him. I slowly made my way over to him and leaned forward until I was right in his face. "I know they can fight and are capable of protecting themselves, but that does not mean they have to do it alone. No one is alone. Not them, not me, not my spirits. Not even you. That is one thing you Shinigami's need to get through your thick heads and pride. You may be able to stand your own in a fight, but there are times when you need help. So don't you _ever_ tell me that you have to go through things alone," I took a deep breath, ready to say more when a female's voice spoke first.

"How dare you speak to the Captain-Commander like that," a girl with short black hair with two white braids and grey eyes said vehemently. So, she's a captain, I thought looking at her white robe. "He is the one in charge and gives our orders. He has ordered you to retrieve these keys and protect them. You agreed to help us-"

"For your information, Captain, I do not take orders from him, you, or anyone else. I agreed on nothing with any of you. I only made a promise to Beelzebub that I would help him and the other demons get home. Your Captain only ordered your people to protect me and the keys. I have no obligation to Soul Society," I argued with her before dismissing her and facing the Commander again." And just so _you_ know, I have come to see those two girls as my little sisters and no one messes with my family. If someone does, I will travel through Earthland, Edolas, Soul Society, even Hell itself to destroy the person that has harmed them. Do I make myself clear, _Captain_?"

I was beyond furious and knew I probably stepped over a boundary. Judging by how quiet it was, I more than likely had, but I didn't care. I wasn't backing down now as I waited for some response. The response didn't come, but I did see respect in the old man's eyes as he stared at me. I backed off a little and nodded, silently telling him I saw it.

"Now that we are clear, why don't you do your job and get some order back into your ranks?" I asked him, walking away and heading toward the door.

"Where are you going, Luce?" Natsu called out, his footsteps running toward me.

"None of your business, Natsu," I sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"But-" he was interrupted by a girl with silver hair running into the room. I recognized her as one of the people besides the captain that was taking care of Grimmjow.

"Captain Unohana. Grimmjow is awake," she said, eyes landing on her captain who I hadn't noticed was in the room. The woman quickly but gracefully moved toward the door and followed her lieutenant toward the infirmary.

"Lucy!" I heard my name being yelled and saw Ichigo standing by the door, looking at me. "You heard what Isane said didn't you?" I nodded, my head still not processing what happened, "Well, are you coming?" I nodded and started moving towards him, Natsu and the rest of my guildmates following. The walk to the infirmary was quiet for which I was thankful. I needed a few minutes to think. Everything had happened so fast, I still couldn't believe I stood up to the Captain-Commander like that. _But I meant every word and I don't regret it,_ I thought though my body still felt like it was ready to fight. By the time my heart stopped thundering from the adrenaline, we were already at Grimmjow's room.

I stood by the door and watched as everyone greeted Grimmjow. Ichigo and Renji began teasing him for looking so pathetic, while Natsu aggravatingly asked him to fight until Laxus hit him on the head to shut him up which only made him louder. I continued to stand there, glad that he was awake and alright. As if sensing my stare, he suddenly looked up and his eyes met mine, causing my breath to hitch.

"What? You just gonna stand there like an idiot?" His gruff voice asked. I shook my head and slowly made my way into the room, his eyes following my every move. I stopped a few inches from the side of the bed when the overwhelming feeling of guilt and relief flooded through me. Without thinking, I threw myself on him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my head in his chest as tears started flowing down my cheeks.

"Oi. Come on, woman. Get a grip. I'm not dying," Grimmjow said, annoyance lacing his voice. I laughed and lifted my head but didn't move from my position.

"Whatever, kitty cat," I replied, smacking him gently on the chest. He laughed, a booming sound that bounced off the walls and caused my heart to beat faster. A cough from behind reminded me that there were other people and I felt my face flush.

"Should we give you two some privacy?" Rukia asked teasingly. My face flushed harder and I tried to get up, but Grimmjow's hands tightened and held me in place.

"If you don't mind, that would be great," Grimmjow responded, a glint in his eyes as he looked at Rukia as if they were in on some joke no one knew about.

"Ah, hell no. My little sister is not getting with some arrogant, cat freak. No way in hell," Laxus protested.

"I agree. If anyone should dishonor her, I will make sure they pay," Erza added, a sword appearing at her side. By the looks of the rest of my guildmates faces, they agreed as well. I sighed, knowing they meant well, but still annoyed at how easily they get worked up.

"Relax guys. Grimmjow is only riling you up," I said and turned to Grimmjow. "And you, stop messing with them or they will neuter you." He grinned at me and released his hold. I slid off his bed but stood beside him, not quite ready to leave yet when I felt the familiar pull of a key, but this felt different. It was more urgent, frantic, and my lungs felt like they were being filled with water. I hunched over and leaned on the bed for supports as I gasped, trying to get air into my lungs, but nothing worked. I heard voices and my name being called but I couldn't respond because of all the water. My eyes began to close and I heard a voice yelling, _"Help. Somebody. Please,"_ before I passed out.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys. I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update again. With my work being crazy and having to get a new laptop because my other one just decided it wanted to die on me. I would have posted sooner, but I was drawing a cover picture for the story and I finally finished it today. Let me know what you guys think of it. So to make up for the long wait and for you guys being so patient, I will post three chapters. Here's the first one and expect the other two later today. Thank you for your support and thanks for everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed. I hope you guys enjoy :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

I _was drowning. I knew this as water filled my lungs, leaving me gasping for air._

 _"Somebody, please," a male's voice called. I opened my eyes only to see darkness._

 _"Help," the voice called again, a blue light beginning to appear in front of me. As the light became brighter, a figure stepped out. The first thing I noticed was the bright glowing blue eyes and the sound of jingling as he swiveled his head back in forth._

 _"Can anyone hear me? Please?" his voice was becoming more desperate. As he continued to inch closer, the water surrounding me growing heavier, making it impossible to move._

 _"Who are you?" the voice asked sounding closer. I tried to answer, but water filled my mouth the second I opened it. I guess he noticed my struggle as the water began to disappear and I broke into a coughing fit, gasping for air to reach my burning lungs._

 _"Who are you?" the man asked again. I slowly lifted my head, my eyes squinting from the lack of light and falling on a pair of black jeans that had holes at the knees. My gaze traveled up, taking in the dark blue zipped up jacket he wore, and up until my eyes rested on his face. I couldn't help but notice his sun-kissed skin as well as the hood that covered his head, hiding most of his features except for the bright blue eyes._

 _"I'm not going to ask again. Who are you?"_

 _"My name is Lucy Heartfilia. Who are you?" I replied, my voice a little hoarse. The man was silent, regarding me with suspicion._

 _"I am Leviathan, Demon of Envy," he finally answered._

 _Surprised, I started mumbling to myself. "He's a demon? I knew I felt the pull of a key, but I didn't know it was another demon since it felt so different."_

 _"Key? How do you know about the keys? Who exactly are you?" The demon questioned, his eyes blazing a brighter blue._

 _"As I said. My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I am a Celestial Spirit Mage and I am currently looking for the rest of the demons."_

 _His eyes narrowed and turned guarded as he stared at me. "What do you mean looking for the rest of the demons? What are you planning?" Out of no where, water started to fill the space around us. I quickly stood up, not wanting my lungs to become a water bottle again._

 _"Calm down, Leviathan. I mean no harm. Beelzebub told me everything and I am just wanting to help you guys get back home," I tried to explain, hoping to calm the demon down. Water continued to rise and had now reached my knees._

 _"Your lying. Celestial Mages only want to use our power for themselves. No one has ever wanted to help us. Tell me now what you want with us or I'll kill you," his voice became angry and the water began to turn rough, slamming against me as it rose higher._ Come on, Lucy, think. What do you know about Leviathan? The stories Momma used to tell me made him out to be cold and heartless. _Remembering the desperation in his voice as he called for someone for help, I knew that wasn't true. Not knowing what to do and with the water already at my waist, I tried to reason with him again._

 _"Leviathan, I am telling you the truth. I really do want to help you guys." His eyes turned angrier and I was slammed against the wall from one of the waves. Pain exploded in my head and I tried to keep myself standing. Starting to get angry from the spirit being so stubborn I shouted, "Seeing as you won't believe anything I say, will you at least listen to your friends?"_

 _The water calmed and the man stood there, glaring at me. Taking this as a yes, I reached for my keys, but they weren't there. Panic started to settle in my chest as I checked again and turned up empty. No, no, no. This can't be happening. I can't have lost them. Just as I was about lose it, four flashes of light appeared around the space and the demons I was going to call appeared._

 _"Lady Lucy, are you alright?" Lucifer asked coming over to me, concern in his blue eyes._

 _"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about," I replied, shaking off his hands that were trying to examine my head._

 _"Lucifer, Mammon, Belphegor, Beelzebub?" Leviathan's voice questioned uncertainly. The four demons surrounding me turned to the hooded man in surprise._

 _"Lev, is that you?" Beelzebub asked, moving closer but Leviathan stepped back, his movements hesitant._

 _"How?" He whispered. "How can any of you stand to be near her? After everything that her kind has done to us, how can you trust her to not use you and betray us?" His voice shook with confusion._

 _"She's not like the others, Lev. She actually does care about us. And if you haven't noticed, she is contracted to all of us. You know what that means, right?" Beelzebub asked. Realization seemed to dawn on the water demon as his stance became less guarded._

 _"What are you talking about Beelzebub?" I asked, feeling confused now._

 _"Remember when we first met. I told you that, besides the other sins, only people with the opposite virtue as us can stand to be around us. For us demons of the sins, being around someone who as the opposite virtue is like...like…how do I put it?" He mumbled to himself._

 _"Its like a vacation for us," Mammon finished._

 _"Exactly. Its like a vacation because we don't have to deal with the madness that our sins leaves on a person. You being able to touch our keys and not be affected goes to show how extraordinary you are. It also proves to us other sins that you can be trusted," Beelzebub finished his explanation._

 _"Now, Leviathan. Get rid of this water. Lady Lucy is shivering from the cold of it," Lucifer ordered. I didn't notice that it was so cold in here and that I had begun shivering until Lucifer mentioned it. The water started to disappear immediately, and feeling started to return to my numbed legs._

 _"Here, Demoness," Belphegor said, handing me his jacket. I gratefully took it, slipping it on, surprised by the warmth that it provided. Having feeling return to my body, I finally looked around to see where we were, but I all I could see was rock and a few trails of water gliding down the smooth surfaces._

 _"Where are we by the way?" I asked. The other four demons turned their heads to inspect our surroundings._

 _"Where exactly are we, Leviathan?" Belphegor questioned, running a hand over part of the wall._

 _"This is where my key is hidden."_

 _"If this is where you are, why not let Lucy go ahead and take your key?" Beelzebub wondered out loud. I turned to the demon, excitement filling me at the thought of gaining a new friend._

 _"She can't," Leviathan quickly replied. Disappointment replaced the excitement I had felt._ I guess he doesn't want to be contracted to me. He must really hat Celestial Spirit Mages, _I sadly thought._

 _"Why not? You know that she has your virtue seeing as how she hasn't gone crazy yet from being around you personally," Beelzebub angrily retorted. Suddenly his eyes widened then narrowed. "If this is still about her being a Celestial Mage then-"_

 _"Its not about that," Leviathan interrupted. "Its just that she's not actually here and neither are you."_

 _"Oh," was all Beelzebub said, understanding what the other demon was saying._

 _"What do you mean we're not actually here? Belphegor was able to touch the wall and I sure as hell was able to feel that water."_

 _"Its because of his magic," Lucifer explained. Seeing the confused look that I knew was on my face, he continued. "I'm sure by now you figured out what type of magic Leviathan has. Because he can manipulate water, he is able to manipulate it in a way that can allow him to sort of teleport a persons soul to him. We're not sure how, since it was only recently he had discovered this ability and with our separation, we have not had time to figure it out, so we do not know the full extant of this ability. By the way, how is it that you were able to call Lady Lucy here?"_

 _Leviathan went quiet. Suddenly remembering the pull and his desperate pleas, I thought I would answer for him. "I'm not a hundred present sure. I had felt some kind of pull like I did with the rest of your keys and ended up here, though the pull felt different... Now that I think about it, it was almost similar to the pull I felt when I found Belphegor."_

 _"So that's why," Mammon spoke up. I turned to him, hoping he would continue to explain. "It's simple really," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Something must have happened for his key to call out to you. Beelzebub and Belphegor had filled us in on how you found his key. The reason a demon's key would call out to someone is if the demon is feeling a strong emotion. At the time, Belphegor was getting ready to lose control and his body was put under stress, that's why it called out to you. So, Leviathan, what were you feeling when Lucy appeared?" Mammon bluntly asked._

 _"It's Asmodeus... He's in trouble and I was calling for someone to help."_

 _"What do you mean Deus is in trouble? What happened?" Beelzebub demanded, anger suddenly taking over him._

 _"I don't have time to explain it right now. The Mage needs to get back to her body." He turned to me, his blue eyes narrowing slightly. "I do not trust you. As much as I don't like it, you may be the only one who can save Asmodeus. I am in the forest in the 79th district of West Rukongai. There is only one waterfall in the forest so you will be able to find me." He paused, giving me time to remember what he said. I nodded and he continued. "I will send you back now. Unfortunately, I have to send you back the way you came so prepare yourself." Instantly water began filling the small space again and I closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath I felt the water quickly submerge me. Once again, my lungs were being filled and I felt like I was drowning. Thankfully this time the feeling didn't last long as my head surfaced and I gasped for breath._

Sounds started coming to my ears as voices were yelling and panicked. I coughed, water sputtering past my lips. I felt hands all over my body as I was moved and something warm embraced me, heating up my cold body.

"Lucy-san? Lucy-san, can you hear me?" A voice that sounded like Wendy's asked.

"Hmmmm," was the only response I could give at the moment, but it seemed to be enough as a sighs of relief sounded through the room.

"Alright, I need everyone out of here. Lucy-san needs to rest," I heard little Wendy order and the sound of feet shuffling.

"Why is the Flame-head staying?" I think I heard Gray say.

"Shut it Ice Princess!" Natsu's voice shouted in my ear. I felt the bed move roughly and I buried my head in my pillow, trying to drown out their annoying banter.

"What'd you say, Squinty Eyes?" Gray shouted back before I heard a thud and groaning.

"Enough you two. Lucy needs rest. Natsu is only staying so he can warm Lucy up and return her body temperature back to normal." _Thank you, Erza,_ I silently thought, glad that someone was there to stop the two idiots.

"Lucy if you are still awake and can hear me, get some rest then I will share with you this amazing cake that Rangiku had brought to me," Erza called out.

"Hmmm," I replied with again, unable to say anything else. She must have took it as a sign of agreement because I heard feet shuffling on the floor and a door closing. With the room finally quiet, exhaustion suddenly overcame me and I settled into the bed that I was put on. Before sleep claimed me, I felt arms encircle me and I thought I heard a voice whisper, "Don't scare me like that again," then all I saw was black.


End file.
